Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate, quarried and cut into blocks for facades, cladding and load-bearing masonry since antiquity. Its relative softness when freshly quarried makes it easy to carve, hardening on exposure to air, a property ancient Egyptian and Greek builders exploited for temples and, later, European cathedral builders used for tracery and sculpture. Color ranges from near-white through buff, gray and honey tones depending on mineral impurities and quarry source, notably Indiana limestone in the United States and Portland stone in England. It weathers by slow dissolution in acidic rainwater, which softens architectural detail over centuries but rarely threatens structural integrity.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Seen In
Built from local limestone blocks, originally cased in fine white Tura limestone.
Built of Lutetian limestone quarried from beneath Paris itself, the same stone used across the citys historic core.
Sources
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: LimestoneQuote, Wikipedia: Limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.