Marble




 * **marble** ||

metamorphic rock composed wholly or in large part of calcite or dolomite crystals, the crystalline texture being the result of metamorphism of limestone by heat and pressure. The term //marble// is loosely applied to any limestone or dolomite that takes a good polish and is otherwise suitable as a building stone or ornamental stone. Marbles range in color from snow-white to gray and black, many varieties being some shade of red, yellow, pink, green, or buff; the colors, which are caused by the presence of impurities, are frequently arranged in bands or patches and add to the beauty of the stone when it is cut and polished. Marble is used as a material in statuary and monuments, as a facing stone in buildings and residences, and for pillars, colonnades, paneling, wainscoting, and floor tiles. Like all limestones, it is corroded by water and acid fumes and is thus ultimately an uneconomical material for use in exposed places and in large cities. The presence of certain impurities decreases its durability. Marble was extensively used by the ancient Greeks; the Parthenon and other famous buildings were constructed of white Pentelic marble from Mt. Pentelicus in Attica, and the finest statues, e.g., the Venus de' Medici, from the remarkably lustrous Parian marble from Paros in the Cyclades. These same quarries were later used by the Romans. Among the famous marbles of Italy are the Carrara and Siena marbles of Tuscany, which were used by the Romans and the Italian sculptors of the Renaissance. Marbles are quarried in all parts of the world. The finest marbles in the United States come from Vermont, which produces large quantities. Other states important as marble producers are Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, California, Colorado, and Arizona. Marble is a rock resulting from metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, most commonly limestone or dolomite rock. Metamorphism causes variable recrystallization of the original carbonate mineral grains. ====Marble can be highly effected by acid rain. When the sulfur or nitrogenous compounds dissolved in water fall from the sky and come in contact with marble it can dissolve. Thus, the issues of acid rain and air pollution in general has been very important in the discussion of protecting and maintaining works of architectural art from history.==== =__Uses__=
 * The resulting marble rock is typically composed of an interlocking mosaic of carbonate crystals. Primary sedimentary textures and structures of the original carbonate rock (protolith) have typically been modified or destroyed.
 * Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of a very pure (silicate-poor) limestone or dolomite protolith. 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.

__ Sculpture __
White marble has been prized for its use in sculptures since classical times. This preference has to do with its softness, 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.

The Taj Mahal is a famous building that is made entirely out of marble.

__ Construction marble __ Construction marble is a stone which is composed of calcite, dolomite or serpentine which is capable of taking a polish. More generally in construction, specifically the dimension stone trade, the term "marble" is used for any crystalline calcitic rock (and some non-calcitic rocks) useful as building stone. For example, Tennessee marble is really a dense granular fossiliferous gray to pink to maroon Ordovician limestone that geologists call the Holston Formation.



Construction
According to the U.S. geological survey, U.S. dimension marble production in 2006 was 46,400 tons which was valued at $18.1 million dollars, but in 2005, just a year before, marble production was valued at $18.9 million dollars at 72,300 tons. Pakistan is one of the largest marble exporters in the world, which exports total to around 100,000 annually. China is the chief importer of marble, specifically Pakistani marble, which imports reach close to 70,000 tons a year.

Greek and Roman sculptors use marble because it is a cultural symbol and seen as a tradition.Its extremely varied and colorful patterns make it a favorite decorative material.
 * Cultural Associations:**

Types
 * ~ Marble name ||~ Color ||~ Location ||~ Country ||
 * [|Coral red marble] || red, white lines || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Emperador dark marble] || dark nets || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Orange marble] || orange, white lines || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Imperial wood vein marble] || yellow,wood vein || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Tiger skin marble] || tiger skin || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Black marquina marble] || black, white lines || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Lotus green marble] || green and white color, lotus shape || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Gold jade marble] || dark, golden lines || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Brown marble] || gray, white lines || [|Tongshan County, Hubei], China || [|China] ||
 * [|Bucova marble] || white, gray || [|Băuţar], Caraş-Severin County (applied in [|Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa] ) || [|Romania] ||
 * [|Carrara marble] || white or blue-gray || [|Carrara] || [|Italy] ||
 * [|Connemara marble] || green || [|Connemara] || [|Ireland] ||
 * [|Creole marble] || white and blue/black || [|Pickens County, Georgia] || [|United States] ||