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Marble
Marble

Travertine
Travertine



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Marble vs Travertine

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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
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

History

Origin

Egypt
Italy

Discoverer

Unknown
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

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
Banded

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Pink, White
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

Veined and Shiny
Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery, 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
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Types

Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble
Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

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
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

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

Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism
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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

Medium Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

-
Splintery

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous
Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm280.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
-

Toughness

-
1

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.871.68
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.4-2.7 g/cm32.71 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K1.09 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India
China, Russia

Africa

Namibia
-

Europe

Italy, Spain
Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

-
Canada, USA

South America

-
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria
-

Marble 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 Marble and Travertine 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. 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 Marble vs Travertine information and Marble vs Travertine characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Marble 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. Marble vs Travertine characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Marble and Properties of Travertine. Learn more about Marble vs Travertine 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 Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Marble and Travertine, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Marble in construction industry include As dimension stone 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 Marble and Travertine

Here you can know more about Marble and Travertine. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Marble and Travertine consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz and mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Marble vs Travertine, 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, Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Marble is Veined and Shiny and that of Travertine is Fibrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Marble vs Travertine. Hardness of Marble and Travertine 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 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 Marble and Travertine is white. The specific heat capacity of Marble is 0.88 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.Marble is heat resistant whereas Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.