Travertine

Travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

A carving in travertine

Travertine is a sedimentary rock. Travertine is a natural chemical precipitate of carbonate minerals; typically aragonite, but often recrystallized to or primarily calcite; which is deposited from the water of mineral springs (especially hot springs) or streams saturated with calcium carbonate. When pure, travertine is white, but often is brown to yellow due to impurities. When carbon dioxide-rich water percolates through rocks in limestone areas, the water dissolves the limestone and becomes saturated with it. When the water resurfaces later, the sudden drop in pressure and the change in temperature cause the water to release the carbon dioxide gas, much like fizzy drinks. The calcium carbonate then recrystallizes, often over minute underwater plants. The resulting rock is typically quite porous with numerous cavities. When exceptionally porous it is known as calcarious tufa. Travertine. ... Travertine. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 589 pixelsFull resolution (2490 × 1833 pixel, file size: 910 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs, travertine terraces Copyright © 2006 David Monniaux File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 589 pixelsFull resolution (2490 × 1833 pixel, file size: 910 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs, travertine terraces Copyright © 2006 David Monniaux File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages... The geothermal areas of Yellowstone include several geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park as well as other geothermal features such as hot springs (including mud pots) and fumaroles. ... “Yellowstone” redirects here. ... Download high resolution version (896x592, 95 KB)A carving in travertine, by Jean-Charles Charuest, in De Castelnau metro station, Montreal. ... Download high resolution version (896x592, 95 KB)A carving in travertine, by Jean-Charles Charuest, in De Castelnau metro station, Montreal. ... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Aragonite Aragonite is a polymorph of the mineral calcite, both having the chemical composition CaCO3. ... Doubly refracting Calcite from Iceberg claim, Dixon, New Mexico. ... Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. ... Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57 F or... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with the chemical formula CaCO3. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Tufa is the name for an unusual geological formation. ...

Extensive deposits exist at Tivoli, Italy, near Rome. In fact, travertine derives its name from this town. Tivoli was known as Tibur in ancient Roman times. The ancient name for the stone was lapis tiburtinus meaning tibur stone, which has been corrupted to travertine. Tivoli, the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km from Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river, where it issues from the Sabine hills. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5...

Detailed studies of the Tivoli travertine deposits revealed diurnal and annual rhythmic banding and laminae which have potential use in geochronology (Folk, 1985). Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments. ...

Travertine has formed 16 huge, natural dams in a valley in Croatia known as Plitvice Lakes National Park. The travertine clings to moss and rocks in the water, and has built up over several millennia to form waterfalls up to 70 m in height.[1] Plitvice lakes The Plitvice Lakes ([plitvi], Croatian: Plitvička Jezera) are a national park in Croatia, situated at , in the Plitvice Lakes municipality, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

Other beautiful cascades of natural lakes formed behind travertine dams can be seen in Band-i-Amir (Afghanistan), HuangLong Valley (Sichuan, China), Semuc Champey (Guatemala), and Pamukkale (Turkey). Many geyser fields also have colorful travertine deposits. Band-e Amir refers to five lakes high in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Central Afghanistan near the famous Buddhas of Bamyan. ... The colorful limestone pools of Huanglonggou and scenic mountains attract many tourists to the Huanglong area. ... Semuc Champey pools in the Cahabòn River, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala Semuc Champey is a natural site and attraction in Guatemala, close to Lanquín. ... Hot springs of Pamukkale The reflection of the limestone in a hot spring at Pamukkale The town of Pamukkale, at the foot of the hot springs. ...

The largest building in the world constructed largely of travertine is the Colosseum in Rome. Other notable buildings using travertine extensively include the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris and the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California. The travertine used in the construction was imported from Tivoli. The website of the Getty Center contains more information about the use of travertine in its construction, including some videos of travertine being quarried and cut for use. The stone is most widely used in Italy, Greece and Turkey. The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Basilica of Sacré CÅ“ur. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The Getty Center, seen from the Central Garden The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, is the current home of the J. Paul Getty Museum as well as a research institute, conservation institute, grant program, and leadership institute. ...

Travertine is one of several natural stones that are used for paving patios and garden paths. It is sometimes known as travertine limestone, sometimes as travertine marble; these are the same stone, even though it is neither limestone nor marble. The stone is characterised by pitted holes and troughs in its surface. Although these troughs occur naturally, they suggest to some eyes that considerable wear and tear has occurred over many years. Some installers use a grout to fill these holes, whereas others leave them open — travertine can even be purchased "filled" or "unfilled." It can be effectively polished to a smooth, shiny finish and comes in a variety of colors from grey to coral-red. Travertine is most commonly available in tile sizes for floor installations. For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Mission, or barrel, roof tiles A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, porcelain, metal or even glass. ...

Travertine is one of the most frequently used stones in modern architecture, and is commonly seen as facade material, wall cladding, and flooring. Architect Welton Becket was one of the most frequent users of travertine, incorporating it extensively into many if not most of his projects. The entire first floor of the Becket-designed UCLA Medical Center has thick travertine walls. Modern architecture, not to be confused with contemporary architecture, is a term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament. ... The 3,000-seat Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, opened in 1958. ... UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. ...

There are two or three small travertine producers in the western United States. U.S. demand for travertine is about 0.85 million tonnes, almost all of it imported. Most of the imports come from Turkey, Mexico is next, then Italy, and then Peru. A decade ago, Italy had almost a monopoly on the world travertine market.

References

• Folk, R. L., et al; (1985) Bizarre forms of depositional and diagenetic calcite in hot spring travertines, in Carbonate Cements; SEPM Special Pub. 36.
• Hurlbut, Cornelius S.; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, Manual of Mineralogy, 20th ed., Wiley, p. 496 ISBN 0-471-80580-7
• New Mexico travertine study
• Minerals.net Aragonite