What is Marble?
MARBLE
Marble is formed from limestone by heat and pressure in the earth's crust. These forces cause the limestone to change in texture and makeup. This process is called recrystallization. Fossilized materials in the limestone, along with its original carbonate minerals, recrystallise and form large, coarse grains of calcite. Impurities present in the limestone during recrystallization affect the mineral composition of the marble that forms. The minerals that result from impurities give marble wide variety of colours. The purest calcite marble is white. Marble containing hematite has a reddish colour. Marble that has limonite is yellow, and marble with serpentine is green.
Marble does not split easily into sheets of equal size and must be mined carefully. The rock may shatter if explosives are used. Blocks of marble are mined with channeling machines, which cut grooves and holes in the rock,Uses. Marble has long been highly valued for its beauty, strength, and resistance to fire and erosion. The ancient Greeks used marble in many buildings and statues. The Italian artist Michaelangelo used marble from Carrara, Italy, in a number of sculptures.
Extremely pure calcite marble is used for most statues. Large blocks of coloured marble are, used for columns, floors, and other parts of buildings. Smaller pieces of such marble are crushed or finely ground and used as abrasives in soaps and other products. Crushed or ground marble is also used in paving roads and in manufacturing roofing materials and soil treatment products.
Marble 1:
Marble is limestone that has crystallized naturally over a period of time. Marble is classified into four groups, Groups A, B, C, and D. These are broad classifications and relate only to soundness and working qualities. However, for the purpose of this maintenance guide marble has been classified as exterior or interior maintenance of marble. The test used for water absorption is ASTM C97. Marble is cut into blocks, slabs or tile in various thickness and sizes. Marble flooring is very sensitive to acids and alkalis and can be stained if spills are not wiped up immediately. If marble flooring is installed in an area where staining liquids are liable to cause problems, then the flooring should be sealed and finish applied.
Marble 2:
Marbles are basically metamorphosed limestones. Once limestone is subjected to heat and pressure, the calcium carbonate re crystallizes into marble.
Marbles have similar characteristics to limestones and are typically used on the same applications, though, marbles are almost always more aesthetically valuable and available in much wider range of colors.
There are several types of marbles, including calcites (from calciferous limestones), dolomites (from dolomitic limestone), serpentines (typically green marbles) and travertines (sedimentary limestone). Each of these is similar in their composition, that being predominantly calcium carbonate, and their capability to take a polish. The stone that is quarried west of Belen in central New Mexico is a travertine marble.
Many years ago there was a cataclysmic shift in the earth's crust and the Rio Grande Valley appeared. The Sandia mountains were pushed up on the east side bringing granite to the surface and leaving limestone on the top or backside of the mountain. This limestone was once the floor of a vast ocean that covered the entire southwest U.S. If you drive along south 14 you can see the layers of limestone along along the roadside. This same limestone is used to make cement at the plant in Tijeras, New Mexico. When the valley was formed, there were openings made in the earth's crust which allowed volcanoes to form and many hot springs to appear. These hot spring were present west of Belen, and as they came to the surface, the water passed through the limestone beds.
The calcium carbonate in the limestone went into suspension in the water and once it got to the surface the water evaporated and it become travertine.
One characteristic of all Travertines is the presence of small voids that were caused by air bubbles in the hot water. At times when the springs went cold, onyx was formed. It is not uncommon to find bands of onyx among travertine beds.
Marbles are suitable for both interior and exterior applications but it should be noted that with today's environment containing so many pollutants, if a polish finish is specified on marble, it will not last.
What is it and where is it formed? 
Marble is a metamorphic limestone. When limestone is heated and has pressure put on it, its calcite is melted. Larger crystals are formed and this is marble. Whatever is mixed in with the limestone decides the final color of the marble. If limestone is pure, you get a white marble. If it has hematite or clay in it, you will get a reddish color marble. Most marble is large grained and comes in many colors and patterns.
How and where is it mined?
Marble is mined in mountain areas using quarrying. It is found in: Canada, Italy, Germany, and Spain. In the U.S., the best come from Vermont but there are quarries in Maryland, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and lots of other states.
What is it used for?
Marble is used in statues, buildings, tomb stones, fireplace mantles, floor tiles, and countertops. It is soft and is easy to carve or cut into shapes. This is why it is used to make statues.
What is Marble?
Marble is metamorphosed limestone, composed of fairly pure calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3). It is extensively used for sculpture, as an building material, and in many other applications.
Faux marble or faux marbling is a wall painting technique that imitates the color patterns of real marble (not to be confused with paper marbling). Marble dust can be combined with cement or synthetic resins to make reconstituted or cultured marble.
Places named after the stone include Marble Hill, Manhattan, New York and the town of Marble, Minnesota. The Elgin Marbles are marble sculptures taken from the Parthenon to Britain by the Earl of Elgin.
Origins of Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional or at times contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, either limestone or dolostone. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite and/or dolomite crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock.
Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestones. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Green coloration is often due to serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the metamorphism.
Kinds of marble
Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their quarries, include:
* Carrara (Italy)
* Pentelicus (Greece)
* Proconnesus (Turkey)
White marbles, like Carrara, have been prized for sculpture since classical times. This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic "waxy" look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of the human body.
Construction marble
In the construction trade, the term "marble" is used for any massive, crystalline calcitic rock (and some non-calcitic rocks) useful as building stone. For example, Tennessee Marble is really a massive, highly fossiliferous gray to pink to maroon Ordovician dolostone, known as the Holston Formation by geologists.
Etymology
The word "marble" derives from the Greek marmaros, "shining stone" (OED). This stem is also the basis for the English word "marmoreal" meaning "marble-like".