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Properties of marble and its use. Chemical formula of marble

Surely everyone knows about the value of marble. The properties of this metamorphic rock allow it to be used in a wide variety of industries. What are his features?

Chemical characteristics

You can start a story about the properties of marble with the following fact: this rock consists exclusively of CaCO 3 calcite. It is also known as calcareous. It is a mineral from the group of carbonates (salts and esters of carbonic acid).

Interestingly, calcite is the most common biological mineral. It makes up the endoskeleton and shells of many skeletal invertebrates.

It should be noted that during the recrystallization of a substance with the formula CaMg (CO 3) 2, dolomite marbles are formed.

If we talk about hardness, then marble is 2.5-3 points on the Mohs scale. The density is 2.3-2.6 g / cm³. This is not a very durable material - it can be scratched with copper.

Specifications

A few words should be said about the physical properties of marble. They can be listed as follows:

Water absorption varies from 0.15 to 0.5 percent.
Compressive strength is 500-2500 kgf/cm 2 .
Porosity can range from 0.6% to 3.5%.
Abrasion varies from 0.4 to 3.2 g/cm 2 .

The material does not have an unambiguous structure. The main two. The fine-grained structure gives the material excellent polishing properties. And in the application of marble this is taken into account. And the coarse-grained structure is reflected in the cleavage of the grains.

impurities

Talking about the chemical basic properties of marble, it should be noted that it always contains at least a minimal part of other minerals and organic compounds. They affect the quality of the material - either reduce or increase its decorative effect. And color, by the way, also depends on impurities. Most colored rocks are banded or variegated. Here are examples of the influence of impurities on color:

Iron oxide (compound of metal with oxygen). Colors marble red. Less common are pink modifications. It is even more difficult to see marble with a "rusty" tint.
High dispersion iron sulfide (binary compound of sulfur and iron of an inorganic nature). Paints marble in black and blue color.
silicates containing iron. In particular, chlorite (mica-like miner) and epidote (complex iron-aluminum-calcium silicate). They color the marble green.
Limonite (a mineral aggregate, which is a mixture of iron oxide hydrates), as well as manganese and iron carbonates. Marble is painted in brown and yellow tones.
Graphite (carbon modification) and bitumen (mountain resin). Painted in black, blue and grey.

Talking about the features and properties of marble, it should be noted that the pattern is still determined by the direction in which the stone is sawn. The pattern, like the color, appears after polishing.

History of the mineral in Russia

There are many areas in our country where such stone as marble is mined. Its properties have been appreciated for a long time.

The mineral of Karelian origin was the first to be used in Russia. This durable and visually appealing stone was discovered in a small village called Tivdia. It is distinguished by a pale fawn color with streaks of pink. It was he who was used in the interior decoration of St. Isaac's and Kazan's Cathedrals in St. Petersburg.

Then, not far from Lake Ladoga (the largest freshwater reservoir in Europe), Juven marble was discovered. It was also used as a finishing material in many cathedrals and palaces of St. Petersburg.

Place of Birth

The largest deposits in Russia are those located in the Urals. There are 20 of them in total. However, marble endowed with special properties is mined from only eight deposits.

Belyi, for example, is concentrated in the Koelginskoye and Aidyrlinskoye deposits. Gray - in Polevsky, Ufaleysky and Marble. Yellow is mined from deposits near the Pochinskiy and Oktyabrskiy quarries. The pink-red mineral is concentrated in the Nizhny Tagil deposit, and the black one is in the Pershinsky deposit.

There are more than 50 deposits on the territory of Western Siberia and Altai. However, only three deposits are being developed. In Pushtulimsky, fine-grained white marble with green-red veins is mined. A pink-lilac mineral is concentrated in Gramatushinsky. Near the Petenevsky quarry, cream-gray marble is mined.

Also, a large deposit is located in Khakassia. It is called Kibik-Kordon. There are concentrated more than 20 varieties of marble of all shades - gray-green, cream, yellow, white, orange.

And of course, this rock is on Baikal. The Burovshchina deposit is located in the Irkutsk region. Coarse-grained marble of red-pink color with gray, orange, green and lilac shades is mined there. It was this material that was used in the decoration of many metro stations in Moscow ("Tretyakovskaya", "Marxist", etc.).

Healing properties

Lithotherapists say that they are characteristic of marble. The ability to heal is one of the reasons many appreciate this rock. If you believe these statements, then the mineral is capable of:

Cure diseases of the intestines, pancreas and stomach.
Get rid of unreasonable fears.
Heal from insomnia.
Remove stress.

Many people practice massage with marble balls. They say it helps with lumbago (lumbago), radiculitis, vascular diseases.

They even make pendants and beads from marble. They help to get rid of sore throats, and also prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases. Bracelets and rings made from this mineral are advised to be worn by people with excessive sweating.

magical properties

And marble is also valued for them. The properties of this rock have long been recognized by people. The ancient Greeks dedicated this mineral to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. All her temples were built of marble.

It was believed that this material gives fidelity and devotion to everyone who approaches or touches it, and also cools voluptuousness. Marble was credited with the ability to make marital love stronger and help in the birth of good, healthy offspring.

And in ancient Rome, people built houses from this material or lined their dwellings with it. So they protected their shelter from the influence of evil spirits.

In India, even today, the poorest families have at least one piece of marble. The inhabitants of this country are sure that he is an intermediary between good spirits and people.

By the way, astrologers advise everyone to have a marble product with them, regardless of the sign of the zodiac. They say that the stone instantly tunes into the owner's biological field and has a positive effect on his aura.

Application

The unique properties of marble are fully used in the construction industry. The name of this mineral refers to metamorphic rocks that have an average hardness and can be polished. These include:

Marble.
Marbled limestone. It is also called Jura marble. It is a limestone with a massive layered build, the color of which varies from beige to gray-blue. It contains various kinds of organic fossils.
Dense dolomite.
carbonate breccias. Cemented rock, which is composed of fragments of an angular shape.
carbonate conglomerates. Sedimentary rock. Also cemented, like breccias. It consists of pebbles, pellets and a binder. Interestingly, some conglomerates often contain others.

The useful properties of marble are used in the erection of monuments (tombstones and sculptures), in facing and interior decoration. Boards are also made from it, which are later used in electrical engineering - panels of control rooms, distribution and instrument panels are made from them.

Marble is also turned into crumbs, which are used to form plaster and stone mosaics. This substance in this case plays the role of a concrete filler.

And of course, the material is used in facing fountains and fireplaces, in the manufacture of countertops, balusters, floors, flights of stairs and floors. And well-known mosaic reliefs, compositions and round statues are made of plain, most often white marble.

Marble (from the Greek μάρμαρο - "shining stone") is a common metamorphic rock, usually consisting of one mineral, calcite. Marbles are the products of metamorphization of limestones - calcite marble; and products of metamorphization of dolomites - dolomitic marbles.

The structure is coarse-grained, medium-grained, fine-grained, fine-grained. Composed of calcite. Boils violently on the action of dilute hydrochloric acid. Does not leave scratches on glass. The surfaces of the grains are even (cleavage is perfect). Specific gravity 2.7 g/cm 3 . Mohs hardness 3-4.

Marble has a different color. Often it is colorfully colored and has an intricate pattern. The breed strikes with unique patterns, colors. The black color of marble is due to an admixture of graphite, green - chlorite, red and yellow - iron oxides and hydroxides.

Features. Marble is characterized by a granular structure, calcite content, low hardness (does not leave scratches on glass), even grain surfaces (perfect cleavage), reaction under the action of dilute hydrochloric acid. Marble can be confused with harder rocks like quartzite and jasper. The difference is that quartzite and jasper do not react with dilute hydrochloric acid. In addition, marble does not scratch glass.

Composition and photo of marble

Mineralogical composition: calcite CaCO 3 up to 99%, impurities of graphite and magnetite in total up to 1%.

Chemical composition. Calcite marble has a composition: CaCO 3 95-99%, MgCO 3 up to 4%, traces of iron oxides Fe 2 O 3 and silica SiO 2 . Dolomite marble is composed of 50% calcite CaCO 3 , 35-40% dolomite MgCO 3 , the content of SiO 2 reaches up to 25%.

White marble. © Beatrice Murch Gray marble Black marble owes its coloration to graphite impurities Green color of marble due to chlorite inclusions Red color of marble due to iron oxides

Origin

The structure of limestones and dolomites undergoes changes under the influence of certain geological conditions (pressure, temperature), as a result of which marble is formed.

Application of marble

Marble is a wonderful facing, decorative and sculptural material that was used in his works by the famous sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti. Marble is used in the decoration of buildings, lobbies, underground metro halls, as a filler in colored concrete, is used for the manufacture of slabs, bathtubs, wash basins and monuments. Marble of different shades is one of the main stones used to create an extraordinarily beautiful Florentine mosaic.

David, Michelangelo Buonarroti. Photo by Jörg Bittner Unna Sculpture of a ram in white marble

Graceful cubes, lamps, original tableware are made from marble. Marble is used in ferrous metallurgy in the construction of open-hearth furnaces, in the electrical and glass industries. It is also used as a building material in road construction, and as a fertilizer in agriculture and for burning lime. Beautiful mosaic panels and tiles are made from marble chips.

Cast marble from which bathrooms, countertops are made, only imitates the appearance, making objects look like natural marble and other natural decorative stones and minerals. And at a price it is much cheaper than natural stone, which to some extent makes it popular. The process of making cast marble consists in mixing polyester resin and quartz sand.

Marble deposits

The largest marble deposit in Russia is Kibik-Kordonskoye (Krasnoyarsk Territory), where about twenty varieties of marble of different colors from white to greenish-gray are mined. There are large deposits of marble in the Urals - the Aidyrlinskoye and Koelginskoye deposits of white marble, located in the Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions, respectively.

Black marble is mined at the Pershinsky deposit, yellow marble at the Oktyabrsky quarry, and lilac marble at the Gramatushinsky deposit in the Sverdlovsk region.

Marble from Karelia (near the village of Tivdia) of a delicate pale yellow color with pink veins was the first to be used for decorative finishing in Russia; it was used for interior decoration of the Isakievsky and Kazan Cathedrals in St. Petersburg.

There is a stone in Baikal (a reddish-pink stone from the Burovshchina), in Altai (Orokotoyskoe deposit), in the Far East (green marble). It is also mined in Armenia, Georgia (red marble from New Shrosha), Uzbekistan (Gazgan deposit of cream and black stone), Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Greece (Paros Island).

Sculptural marble with a hardness of 3, which lends itself well to processing, is mined in Italy (Carrara). The world-famous sculptures of Michelangelo Buonarroti "David", "Pieta", "Moses" are made of Italian marble from the Carrara deposit.

The meaning of the word marble, the name of the stone, translated from ancient Greek, means "white", "brilliant stone". Marble- This is a rock, mostly consisting of calcite, as a result of more than one stage of crystallization of mountain limestone.

Marble is easily polished, this is due to the fact that calcite, represented by grains, is well connected to each other. For example, in construction and other industries, marble is considered to be any stone that more or less lends itself well to polishing. In the process of metamorphism, i.e. certain physical and chemical transformations of the purest limestone, marble is formed, because. the only realistically possible change in calcite is more than one crystallization.

Marble is white, yellow, brown, pink, green, blue, gray, black, which speaks of its constituent silicates. Often this material is used in architecture and for the manufacture of figures. Most of the marbles have a bright color, in which case the pattern can only be determined by the direction of the cut. Varieties of marble are defined by grain size, some of them have a fine grain, others are coarser.

The chemical composition of marble and its physical features

The hardness of marble is from two to three units, the density is from 2.5 to almost three. Lime marble boils violently, while dissolving in non-concentrated acids, dolomite marble reaches the state of boiling only in the form of a powder. The purest marble is a dielectric and has good electrical insulating properties.

Mining sites in the Russian Federation

Marble is available in many Russian regions. The use of this stone began with the Karelian mineral - eternal, beautiful and durable, it has a delicate fawn color and an admixture of pink, was used to a greater extent in the design of the Kazan and St. Isaac's Cathedrals, the mineral from the Yuvensky deposit adorns many cathedrals of the northern capital. The largest mining sites are located in the Urals, there are more than twenty of them, but only eight are actually used.

Application of marble

In construction, all stones that can be polished, having an average hardness, are considered marble. It is a mineral of noble origin, it is easy to process and looks very good in many applications. Russian stone workers made everything out of it, down to the figures of the Ancient World, depicting them very lively and realistic, in all the traditions of art and architecture. Most at that time marble used in the decoration of palaces with sculptures, everything was marble, starting with columns, fireplaces and ending with buildings in general. Marble is widely used as a material for the manufacture of monuments and tombstones, marble boards are used in electrical engineering: switchboards, shields. Marble chips with the addition of sand form plaster and mosaics, and marble flour is used in agriculture. Many buildings have marble cladding in various shades.

Healing properties of marble

Since ancient times, there has been a belief that the mineral has a positive effect on the internal state of the body, and especially the digestive tract. This stone will help to calm down, relieve insomnia and stressful situations, it is actively used during massage sessions, for pain in the joints. When wearing marble products in the form of beads, you can get rid of cardiovascular diseases and throat diseases. And from excessive sweating will relieve those who wear bracelets and rings.

Marble in magic

The use of marble in magic was known before, the ancient Greeks believed that this stone was created in honor of the goddess Aphrodite, shrines in her honor were also built from this stone. The Greeks believed that the stone would help in love and marriage, childbearing. And the Romans built entire houses just because they believed in salvation from evil spirits. As for the horoscope, this stone is suitable for all representatives of the zodiac, it quickly makes contact with a person and takes on the functions of protection. It would be especially good to have a talisman or amulet made of marble for those people whose activities are associated with risk.

One of the most beautiful representatives of rocks. To extract this stone, quarries are being developed, as well as mines with great depth. The peculiarity of the structure of marble is that it is characterized by a crystalline structure, which is formed by recrystallization of carbonate compounds over a long period of time. This process can continue for several billion years, after which the stone gradually acquires the appearance that we know. If you go into details about the chemical structure of marble, its formula consists of several substances, on which its density, mass, volume, hardness and other characteristics depend.

Chemical features of marble

To be more precise, the chemical formula of marble does not have an established, special designation, thanks to which this stone would be recognizable based on the language of the periodic table.

What is marble made of? Its composition is quite simple: basically, it is dolomite and calcite , conversion products of calcium and magnesium. From the names of these minerals, calcite and dolomite types of stone originate. Their names directly depend on what percentage of a particular element is present in the composition.

Calcite is referred to as CaCO3 and dolomite as MgCO3. If the calcite content in the rock is 90 percent or more, it is calcite marble, and if it contains a mixture of dolomite and silica in a ratio of 50% calcite, the stone is considered to be dolomite.

What causes the different colors of the stone and its patterns

The beauty and multicolor of marble is also "dictated" by its chemical composition. If iron oxide is present in the rock, the stone will be red or pink in different shades. If there is iron sulfide in the stone, it will have a blue-black color, and if it contains chloride compounds and epidote, it will become. Compounds of iron hydroxides and limonite will provide a yellow color palette that can range from grayish to brown. Impurities of graphite and bitumen can give blue and gray colors of the stone.

As for its bizarre patterns (spots, veins, stains) - this is the result of uneven formation and distribution of mineral impurities in the rock.

Technical and physical characteristics:

marble density per 1m³ - 2600-2900 kg(depending on what colors the marble is painted in, its density may vary within these numbers);
level of resistance to compression - from 500 to 2500 kg/cm² ;
porosity level - from 0.6 to 3.5%;
abrasion - 0.40 to 3.20 g/cm²;
hardness - 2,5-3 on the Mohs scale;
percentage of water absorption - from 0.15 to 0.5;
specific gravity of marble - 2,6- 2,8 .

The physical properties of this stone are also determined by indicators such as the strength of marble and its structure. The fine-grained type is easily polished, while the coarse-grained type has a clearly visible grain cleavage. Due to the high level of porosity, it "breathes" and creates an atmosphere of freshness and lightness in the room.

Marble, whose formula includes a large amount of calcite, is quite durable, but it can be scratched as a result of accidental mechanical impact. The most durable species are fine-grained, having the second category on the generally accepted Mohs strength scale.

By the way, there is also artificial marble, the chemical formula of which is fundamentally different from the natural "chemistry" of a stone of natural origin.

Due to the absence of porosity due to the use of polyester and acrylic resins in its manufacture, it has high strength. Artificial samples consist of these resins by about 20 percent, and the remaining 80 are represented by crumbs of marble origin. In other words, in the composition of the "man-made" stone there is a real marble crumb.

As you can see, the chemical composition of marble of artificial origin is fundamentally different from the natural rock. This is what gives the craftsmen a wide choice of materials - depending on the purpose of their application and the requirements for the height of certain indicators.

Marble is a metamorphic crystalline carbonate rock. It is formed as a result of metamorphism of carbonate and carbonate-silicate sedimentary rocks (limestone, dolomite, marl, etc.). Marbles (>90% carbonates) and silicate marbles (50-90% carbonates) are distinguished by the amount of carbonates (calcite and dolomite) contained. Pure marbles usually have light uniform colors - white, grayish, yellowish. Admixtures of silicates (wollastonite, diopside, forsterite, phlogopite, scapolite, monticellite, clinohumite, andradite-grossular garnets, chlorite, serpentine), oxides (hematite, limonite, manganese oxides, periclase, brucite), as well as organic compounds give marbles green, red, black and other rarer colors.

Bitumen and graphite give bluish, gray tones.
Iron oxide colors the rock in red shades or in pink, brownish.
Chlorite and epidote (iron-containing silicates) color the material green.
Iron sulfide imparts a blue-black tint.
Iron hydroxides (limonite) give the material yellow, brown tones.

Marbles often have a pattern (variegated, spotted, moire, serrated, and many others) due to uneven distribution of mineral impurities, uneven recrystallization, or petrified remains of plants and organisms.

Secondary changes:
During regressive metamorphism, calcite-forsterite varieties of marble pass into diopside-dolomite.
Age:
From the Late Archean (Transbaikalia) to the Mesozoic (Greece, Italy). Most of the marble reserves belong to the Proterozoic.
Origin:
Marbles appear by metamorphism at moderate temperatures and pressures from predominantly carbonate sedimentary rocks. Under these conditions, very small grains of calcium and magnesium carbonate of sedimentary rocks experience blastez - coarsening of crystals. Other substances of sedimentary rocks form minor marble minerals.
Deposits associated with the breed:
Deposits of noble spinel and clinohumite (Kukhi-Lal, Tajikistan), ruby and sapphire (Zirpachev, Tajikistan), and jadeite (Ufaley, Ural) can be associated with marbles.

Marble has been used since ancient times as a building and finishing material due to the richness of the pattern, ease of processing and polishing. The stone has been used since ancient times for the manufacture of sculptures, bowls, vases, as well as as a facing and building material. Many religious buildings were decorated with marble. Marble sculptures and bas-reliefs adorn parks and palace complexes all over the world. Most of the sculptures and architectural monuments of Ancient Greece and Rome are made of marble. Already from the 10th century BC, marble sculptures from the era of early antiquity have come down to us. The relative transparency of marble gives rise to the finest play of light and shadow on the surface of the sculpture. This material is also used for cladding, it is resistant to water, fountains are made from it. It is also widely used for the manufacture of mausoleums and tombstones. The marble crumb is applied to mosaics, the pressed facing plates. The density of marbles ranges from 2.6 to 2.9 g/cm3; abrasion from 0.40 to 3.20 g/cm2; water absorption from 0.15 to 0.50%. Marble is a common metamorphic rock found in folded areas and on platforms. Marble supplies are practically unlimited. More than 400 marble deposits with reserves of more than 1 billion cubic meters have been explored in Russia. The largest fields under development are located in the Urals (Koelginskoye deposit, Aidyrlinskoye deposit, Ufaleyskoye, etc.) and Siberia (Kibik-Kordonskoye deposit, Burovshchina). The largest deposits of colored and variegated marble are located in the republics of the former USSR (Gazgan in Uzbekistan; Moliti, Solieti, Shrosha in Georgia). Abroad, the most significant marble deposits are in Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Norway, Canada, the USA and other countries. Many ancient Greek sculptures are made of marble from the Paros (Kyklid archipelago) and Pentelikon (near Athens) deposits. Currently, these deposits are protected by law, and marble is mined from them only for restoration work. The Carrara group of deposits in Italy, from which many sculptures and buildings of the era of ancient Rome and the Renaissance are made of white marble, is being developed at the present time. The development of marble deposits is carried out in a quarry way. To obtain monolithic blocks, stone-cutting machines, wire saws, bore-wedge works, impact cutters are used.

Rock Properties

Rock type: metamorphic rock
Color: White, grey, yellowish, green, red, black
Color 2: White Black Gray Brown Red Yellow Green
Texture 2: banded massive spotted
Structure 2: granoblastic heteroblast fine-grained medium-grained coarse-grained
Origin of name: lat. marmor, name from Greek. Μάρμαρος - luminous stone

Marble deposits
Until now, the word `marble` refers to different breeds that are similar to each other. Builders call marble any durable, polishable limestone.
landscape marble
Landscape marble, also landscape marble, also known as ruin marble, is a fine-grained limestone