Facts about Limestone
Limestone is readily available and relatively easy to cut into blocks or carve elaborately.
Travertine is a rock closely related to limestone and consists of carbonate minerals.
Numerous caves, gorges, sinkholes, and other natural formations have been formed by the action of acidic water on limestone deposits.
Bands of limestone emerge from the Earth's surface in often spectacular rocky outcrops and islands.
During regional metamorphism that occurs during the mountain-building process (orogeny), limestone recrystallizes into marble.
A more significant problem is that limestone and marble are very reactive to acidic solutions, such as acid rain.
Limestone is less resistant to erosion than most igneous rocks, but more resistant than most other sedimentary rocks.
Many limestone statues and building surfaces have suffered severe damage from acid rain.
Challenges to the institution of marriage in the twentieth century, although significant and with some limited validity, nonetheless failed to provide a viable alternative.
Various fossils collected from a limestone quarry in North Carolina, U.S.A. Clockwise from upper left: echinoids, bryozoans, and brachiopods.
Limestone is partially soluble, especially in acidic water, and therefore forms many landforms produced by erosion.
Today, limestone is used in the manufacture of cement, mortar, quicklime (calcium oxide), and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide).
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, has so many buildings constructed from limestone that the place was nicknamed "Limestone City."
Limestone can be found in many varieties, depending on its mineral composition and physical structure.
Limestone is therefore usually associated with hills and occurs in regions with other sedimentary rocks, typically clays.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3).
On the other hand, limestone is a very heavy material, making it impractical for tall buildings.
Coquina is an incompletely consolidated limestone composed of pieces of coral or seashells.