Stone in Archaeology Database


Ashburton Marble

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Local Name(s): Ashburton Marble,
Renfrew Marble,
Torquay Marble.
Example of Ashburton Marble
Stone Group: Sedimentary
Stone Type: Limestone
Geology:
Era:   Palaeozoic
Period:   Devonian
Epoch:   Middle
Geological Sub-Divisons:

Torquay and Plymouth Limestone.

General Colour Description:

A dark grey colour (almost black when polished) frequently with white veins running across it. It can also have white and red patches and veins.

Hand Specimen Description:

A fine grained, compact, very hard limestone which is well sorted with a rough feel. Fossils are present and include corals, crinoid ossicles and fragments of brachiopods, however deformation and recrystallisation have later occured leading the former to become distorted (Robinson 1984: 90).

General Comments:

Ashburton Marble was exported to North America as 'Renfrew Marble' (O'Neill 1965: 17).

Stone Identifiers: Calcareous.
Reacts dilute to HCl? Yes