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Article: Travertine treatment and maintenance.
- Article from:
- Stone World
- Article date:
- September 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 BNP Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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1. Introduction
Travertine is a sedimentary limestone formed by chemical precipitation of calcium salts in watersheds. It consists essentially of calcite (around 99%), the crystalline, white porous structure of calcium carbonate. It is characterized by its spongy, vacuolar structure, due to the inclusion of organic matter (mostly vegetable) and gas emission (carbon dioxide) during its formation.
Calcite, the main mineral component of travertine, is white. However, due to impurities such as sulphur, ferrous compounds, organic pigments, etc., it is found in a variety of colors: walnut, yellow, red, and so on.
Travertine deposits can be found all ...