Marble is the geological name for massive, compact limestone which has been completely re-crystallized by heat and pressure, capturing many foreign substances, thus creating a unique variety of colors and veining (minerals). Marble is simply changed limestone, or to be more specific, metamorphic limestone. The veining which is caused by dissimilarity of materials, often represents areas of weakness within many marbles. Like numerous other stones such as Calcareous stones, travertine and onyx, Marble is also composed chiefly of calcium carbonate.
Marble can be polished and used for architectural and ornamental purposes. Its color varies from white to black, being sometimes yellow, red, and green. Marble is sometimes beautifully veined or clouded. It is preferred for floorings and accentuates the living sphere with its sheer opulence.
Marble stone is relatively softer than other stones and offers less stain resistance. Thus it requires careful maintenance and should be treated as fine furniture. Marble is susceptible to damage from citric acids, alcohols and oils. Spills should be wiped up immediately. Treated properly, marble will remain elegant for decades.
Limestone
Limestone is formed as a result of millions of years of sea shells and bones of sea creatures settling as sediment on an ocean floor (hence it is called a sedimentary stone). The calcium in the bones & shells combines with Carbon Dioxide in the water to form Calcium Carbonate, which is the basic mineral structure of all limestone and marble. Less than 3% of the stone is the color, which is simply other natural elements present when the stone formed (ie iron deposits give you a reddy brown).
Limestone is available as plain rock. Since it is not crystallized, it cannot be polished.
It is available in elegant shades of yellow, blue, brown and black. Due to its durability and longlife, limestone is generally used as building stone and for making statues. Its use as wall cladding material has also gained immense popularity.
Travertine
Travertine also began as limestone, which over time, through geological shifting, found its way deep in the Earth. The porous nature of limestone makes it a great reservoir for liquids. Aquifers, which are the enormous underground pools of water that feed our wells and water our cities, are the remnants of ice age melting, which sank below and was absorbed by limestone. Heated by the Earth's inner core, the water rises as steam and hot pressurized water, to form hot mud baths, "
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Granite is quarried across the globe since there are very few quarries which have mining machinery, mining for granite is a manual job which uses hand chisels and hammers for drilling.
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