Compounds and Elements

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Further reading

limestone

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

limestone sedimentary rock wholly or in large part composed of calcium carbonate. It is ordinarily white but may be colored by impurities, iron oxide making it brown, yellow, or red and carbon making it blue, black, or gray. The texture varies from coarse to fine. Most limestones are formed by the deposition and consolidation of the skeletons of marine invertebrates; a few originate in chemical precipitation from solution. Limestone deposits are frequently of great thickness. The action of organic acids on underground deposits causes such formations as the Luray Caverns, the Carlsbad Caverns, and Mammoth Cave. Limestone is used as a flux in the extraction of iron, as an ingredient in Portland cement, as a source of lime (see calcium oxide ), as a building stone, and for ornamentation. Among the important varieties of limestone are marl , chalk , oolite , travertine , dolomite , and marble .

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limestone

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | 2000 | | Copyright

limestone. Sedimentary rock consisting mostly of calcium carbonate, which, when burned, produces lime. Limestones were and are employed for building. Granular crystalline limestone is marble.

Bibliography

W. McKay (1957)

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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "limestone." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "limestone." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-limestone.html

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "limestone." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-limestone.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Limestone Flux, Limestone: Trends and Prospects in International Trade. News Wire article from: M2 Presswire; 8/5/2010
	Famous limestone to grace 15 Central Park West.(Indiana Limestone Company Inc.) Magazine article from: Real Estate Weekly; 4/26/2006
	The effects of limestone aggregate on concrete properties. Magazine article from: Construction and Building Materials; 12/1/2010