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Travertine
Travertine

Limestone
Limestone



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Travertine
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Limestone

Travertine vs Limestone

Definition

Definition

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

History

Origin

Italy
New Zealand

Discoverer

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Belsazar Hacquet

Etymology

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

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

Banded
Clastic or Non-Clastic

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Fibrous
Rough and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
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
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, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery
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

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

Features

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
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, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Present

Formation

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.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

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

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, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Splintery

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

80.00 N/mm2115.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
1

Specific Gravity

1.682.3-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.71 g/cm32.3-2.7 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.09 kJ/Kg K0.91 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

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

Europe

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Travertine 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 Travertine and Limestone Reserves. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. 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 Travertine vs Limestone information and Travertine vs Limestone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Travertine 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. Travertine vs Limestone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Travertine and Properties of Limestone. Learn more about Travertine vs Limestone in the next section. The interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Travertine and Limestone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Travertine in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar 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 Travertine and Limestone

Here you can know more about Travertine and Limestone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Travertine and Limestone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Travertine vs Limestone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow 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 Travertine is Fibrous and that of Limestone is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Travertine vs Limestone. Hardness of Travertine and Limestone is 3-4. The types of Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa 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 Travertine and Limestone is white. The specific heat capacity of Travertine is 1.09 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.Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Limestone is pressure resistant.