Travertine Rock | History

Definition

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

History

Origin

Italy

Discoverer

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

58% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

61% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Stain Resistant

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42% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Wind Resistant

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36% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Acid Resistant

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19% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Appearance

Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

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

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Formation

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, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen

Transformation

Metamorphism

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17% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

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78% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

86% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-4

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

80.00 N/mm²

Rank: 33 (Overall)

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

1.68

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.71 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.09 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 8 (Overall)

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Russia

Africa

Europe

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador