Limestone by Joey Lewitin
Limestone is one of the most versatile, useful stones we know. In its pure form it is hard enough to be used in counters, floors, paving, surface re-facing, and recently it has been incorporated into stone home furnishing items such as coasters, tables, and chess boards. Other forms of limestone include chalk (a much softer version), and marl (a type of fertilizer). Travertine is also a limestone, though harder, that often can be found in stalactite and stalagmite form in caves. Limestone is used to produce lime, to help extract iron, and in many concretes. Its applications widely vary.
Limestoned is chiefly composed of calcium carbonate and, being a sedimentary rock, it is formed by the collection of other minerals coming together to bond at a structural level. It is white in its purest form; however impurities that become stuck in the structure during formation cause colorful streaks and shades to appear in its surface. Iron will generally cause the colors to shift to red, or yellow, while carbon will shift the colors more towards grey or black. The erratic nature of these colors makes each piece of limestone unique. It is, however, grouped into named quantities of similar stones.
Caring for limestone is easy. It is generally best in a low traffic indoor setting. Certain stone treatments can be used to seal the stone, and if you are interested in these you should ask a local stone professional for their advice on the right sealer to use on your stone.
| About Author Joey Lewitin : |
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Joey Lewitin is an author and webmaster who runs a site that offers his Decorative stone wall clocks and rustic stone home decor gifts and furnishings
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Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.net/science.php/22827
| Other Articles by Joey Lewitin | |
Marble
by Joey Lewitin is a kind of limestone that has undergone a proces which has made the structure of the rock more solid, making it able to withstand a high polish. It is generally formed when limestone is faced with extremes of pressure or temperature that cause it to undergo a process known as metamorphism. When this occurs the structure of the limestone becomes crystal in nature, taking the shape of calcite or dolomite. These two substances are the main materials in marble. The result is a...
Travertine
by Joey Lewitin is one of the most beautiful, versatile, and historically important stones used today. It is a form of limestone that is heavily compacted. Generally it is formed when minerals in streams or hot spring water, become deposited on river beds and dry out. If the chemical composition is calcium carbonate, then travertine has formed. In its purest form travertine is a very pale color, however imperfections in its structural make up, such as the presence of iron, can cause...
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