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.

Marble statues attacked by acid rain. Old statues monuments and tombstones are vulnerable to acid rain because they were made of limestone. Acid precipitation affects stone primarily in two ways. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves. 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.

In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened surfaces removal of material and loss of carved details. Acid rain acid rain effects on human made structures. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air and rain react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves. The most notable effects occur on marble and limestone which are common building materials found in many historic structures monuments and gravestones.

While more resistant than limestone it is subject to attack by weak acids and so performs poorly in outdoor environments subject to acid rain for severe environments granite is a more lasting material but one which is far more difficult to work and much less suitable for. 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.

In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened. Over decades of exposure to acid rain the details of a statue can be lost slowly turning them into featureless blobs.