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Marble vs Limestone


Limestone vs Marble


Definition

Definition
Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time  
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate  

History
  
  

Origin
Egypt  
New Zealand  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Belsazar Hacquet  

Etymology
From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like  
From lime and stone in late 14th Century  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Granular  
Clastic or Non-Clastic  

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

Maintenance
More  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Veined and Shiny  
Rough and Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads  
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
-  
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Paper Industry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper  
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  

Types

Types
Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble  
Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa  

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  
Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Capitol Hill Building, Washington DC, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Ephesus in Turkey, Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Louvre in Paris, France, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Parthenon in Greece, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Qutb Minar in India, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower of Pisa, Italy, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, Washington Monument, US  
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  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Bust of Artemis, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Lincoln Memorial in America  
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Marble is a metamorphic rock produced from limestone in the earth crust. It is formed by the metamorphism of limestone.  
Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz  
Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt  

Compound Content
CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
3-4  

Grain Size
Medium Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
-  
Splintery  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous  
Dull to Pearly  

Compressive Strength
115.00 N/mm2  
27
115.00 N/mm2  
27

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
-  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87  
2.3-2.7  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.4-2.7 g/cm3  
2.3-2.7 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K  
13
0.91 kJ/Kg K  
11

Resistance
Heat Resistant  
Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Namibia  
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe  

Europe
Italy, Spain  
United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
-  
USA  

South America
-  
Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria  
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula  

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Marble vs Limestone 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 Marble and Limestone Reserves. Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. 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 Marble vs Limestone information and Marble vs Limestone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Marble vs Limestone 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. Marble vs Limestone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Marble and Properties of Limestone. Learn more about Marble vs Limestone in the next section. The interior uses of Marble include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Marble and Limestone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Marble in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Limestone include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium.

More about Marble and Limestone

Here you can know more about Marble and Limestone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Marble and Limestone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz and mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Marble vs Limestone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Marble is available in black, blue, brown, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Marble is Veined and Shiny and that of Limestone is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Marble vs Limestone. Hardness of Marble and Limestone is 3-4. The types of Marble are Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble whereas types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Marble and Limestone is white. The specific heat capacity of Marble is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Marble is heat resistant whereas Limestone is pressure resistant.

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