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Limestone
Limestone

Travertine
Travertine



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Limestone vs Travertine

Definition

Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

History

Origin

New Zealand
Italy

Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic
Banded

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Rough and Banded
Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa
Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India
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Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Present

Formation

Formation

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO
Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Splintery

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm280.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
1

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.71.68
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm32.71 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K1.09 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Pressure Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
China, Russia

Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
-

Europe

United Kingdom
Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, USA

South America

Colombia
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
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Limestone vs Travertine Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Limestone and Travertine Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Limestone vs Travertine information and Limestone vs Travertine characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Limestone vs Travertine Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Limestone vs Travertine characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Travertine. Learn more about Limestone vs Travertine in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Travertine, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Travertine include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Limestone and Travertine

Here you can know more about Limestone and Travertine. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Travertine consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Travertine, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Travertine is Fibrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Travertine. Hardness of Limestone and Travertine is 3-4. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone and Travertine is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Travertine is 1.09 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.