How Does Marble Form?

Marble is an opulent, beautiful polished stone that has been used as part of interior stone design for thousands of years. However, how it develops and the history of it being among the most beautiful building materials in the world are almost as wonderous as its look. 

 

Marble is a metamorphic rock, which is created when either limestone or dolomite is exposed to sources of extreme pressure and heat, which causes a change in the internal structure of the original rock. 

 

Coarser types of marble formed closer to the hot igneous rock than finer marble which received less heat. 

 

This is what creates its unique veined texture (or marbling) and extreme strength as a material, which at the same time is delicate enough to make fine sculptures with. 

 

The carbonate crystal which forms marble is the same material, but the impurities present in the limestone create different marble variations, changing colour and shape depending on how they respond to the heat and pressure which creates marble. 

 

There are a lot of potential impurities but the most common ones include iron oxides (which create red marbling), clay (tan), sand (yellow) and serpentine (green). 

 

As well as this, pure white marble can also be found when the limestone which ends up metamorphosing is very pure. 

 

One other unique trait is its somewhat waxy look, caused by light being able to slightly refract into the stone. This is why marble statues can sometimes have a lifelike quality to them and why the material is still highly popular for sculpting.