This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Are you certain this article is inappropriate? Excessive Violence Sexual Content Political / Social
Email Address:
Article Id: WHEBN0000017748 Reproduction Date:
The world's largest limestone quarry is at Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company in Rogers City, Michigan.[9]
Limestone is very common in architecture, especially in Europe and North America. Many landmarks across the world, including the Great Pyramid and its associated complex in Giza, Egypt, are made of limestone. So many buildings in Kingston, Ontario, Canada were constructed from it that it is nicknamed the 'Limestone City'.[10] On the island of Malta, a variety of limestone called Globigerina limestone was, for a long time, the only building material available, and is still very frequently used on all types of buildings and sculptures. Limestone is readily available and relatively easy to cut into blocks or more elaborate carving. It is also long-lasting and stands up well to exposure. However, it is a very heavy material, making it impractical for tall buildings, and relatively expensive as a building material.
Limestone was most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Train stations, banks and other structures from that era are normally made of limestone. It is used as a facade on some skyscrapers, but only in thin plates for covering, rather than solid blocks. In the United States, Indiana, most notably the Bloomington area, has long been a source of high quality quarried limestone, called Indiana limestone. Many famous buildings in London are built from Portland limestone.
Limestone was also a very popular building block in the Middle Ages in the areas where it occurred, since it is hard, durable, and commonly occurs in easily accessible surface exposures. Many medieval churches and castles in Europe are made of limestone. Beer stone was a popular kind of limestone for medieval buildings in southern England.
Limestone and (to a lesser extent) marble are reactive to acid solutions, making acid rain a significant problem to the preservation of artifacts made from this stone. Many limestone statues and building surfaces have suffered severe damage due to acid rain. Acid-based cleaning chemicals can also etch limestone, which should only be cleaned with a neutral or mild alkaline-based cleaner.
Other uses include:
The cyanobacterium Hyella balani can bore through limestone; as can the green algae Eugamantia sacculata and the fungus Ostracolaba implexa.[13]
A stratigraphic section of Ordovician limestone exposed in central Tennessee, U.S. The less-resistant and thinner beds are composed of shale. The vertical lines are drill holes for explosives used during road construction.
Thin-section view of a Middle Jurassic limestone in southern Utah. The round grains are ooids; the largest is 1.2 mm in diameter. This limestone is an oosparite.
Photo and etched section of a sample of fossiliferous limestone from the Kope Formation (Upper Ordovician) near Cincinnati, Ohio.
Biosparite limestone of the Brassfield Formation (Lower Silurian) near Fairborn, Ohio, showing grains mainly composed of crinoid fragments.
Ontario, Quebec City, Quebec, Ottawa, Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Toronto, Ottawa, Canada, Hamilton, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario
United Kingdom, European Union, Tunisia, Gozo, Valletta
Baseball, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas
Triassic, Permian, Cretaceous, Israel, Dinosaur
Bronze, Limestone, Marble, Concrete, Granite
Bronze, Limestone, Marble, Concrete, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Montenegro, Karst, Limestone, Mediterranean, Dinaric Alps
Shale, Siltstone, Sandstone, Jurassic, British Columbia
Calcium, Carbon dioxide, Limestone, Marble, Iron