Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Most limestone is composed of skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, forams and molluscs.
Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, in which water erodes the limestone over thousands to millions of years. Most cave systems are through limestone bedrock.
Limestone has numerous uses: as a building material, as aggregate for the base of roads, as white pigment or filler in products such as toothpaste or paints, and as a chemical feedstock for the production of lime.
The first geologist to distinguish limestone from dolomite was Belsazar Hacquet in 1778.
Like most other sedimentary rocks, most limestone is composed of grains. Most grains in limestone are skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera. Other carbonate grains comprising limestones are ooids, peloids, intraclasts, and extraclasts. These organisms secrete shells made of aragonite or calcite, and leave these shells behind when they die.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed predominantly of calcium carbonate (calcite and/or aragonite).
Limestone may also refer to:
Geological deposits made of limestone:
Limestone, also known as Limestone Plantation and Limestone Farm, has two historic homes and a farm complex located near Keswick, Albemarle County, Virginia. The main dwelling at Limestone Farm consists of a long, narrow two-story central section flanked by two wings. the main section was built about 1840, and the wings appear to be two small late-18th-century dwellings that were incorporated into the larger building. It features a two-story porch. The house underwent another major renovation in the 1920s, when Colonial Revival-style detailing was added. The second dwelling is the Robert Sharp House, also known as the Monroe Law Office. It was built in 1794, and is a 2 1/2-story, brick and frame structure measuring 18 feet by 24 feet. Also on the property are a contributing shed (garage), corncrib (c. 1910), cemetery, a portion of a historic roadway, and a lime kiln known as "Jefferson's Limestone Kiln" (1760s). Limestone's owner in the late-18th century, Robert Sharp, was a neighbor and acquaintance of Thomas Jefferson. The property was purchased by James Monroe in 1816, after the death of Robert Sharp in 1808, and he put his brother Andrew Monroe in charge of its administration. The property was sold at auction in 1828.