Marble Statues Attacked By Acid Rain

In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened surfaces removal of material and loss of carved details.

Marble statues attacked by acid rain.

Marble does not bear handling well as it will absorb skin oils when touched which leads to yellow brownish staining. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air and rain react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves. Acid rain has also attacked the chiseled words on some tombstones rendering them unreadable.

Sulfur dioxide an acid rain precursor can react directly with limestone in the presence of water to form gypsum which eventually. How does acid precipitation affect marble and limestone buildings. Old statues monuments and tombstones are vulnerable to acid rain because they were made of limestone. Over decades of exposure to acid rain the details of a statue can be lost slowly turning them into featureless blobs.

Stone surface material may be lost all over or only in spots that are more reactive. Acid precipitation affects stone primarily in two ways. In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened. Although many different types of stone have been used for sculpture the most vulnerable to potential acid rain damage are marble and limestone steiger 2015 the former is essentially a recrystallized form of the latter.

Both are composed of calcite caco 3 other types of stone which are composed of silicate minerals such as granite or sandstone are intrinsically more resistant to acid attack. The most notable effects occur on marble and limestone which are common building materials found in many historic structures monuments and gravestones.