Stone in Archaeology Database


Frosterley Marble

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Local Name(s): Frosterley Marble,
Stanhope Black Marble.
Example of Frosterley Marble
Stone Group: Sedimentary
Stone Type: Limestone
Geology:
Era:   Palaeozoic
Period:   Carboniferous
Epoch:   Lower
Geological Sub-Divisons:

Carboniferous limestone, Yoredale series, Great Scar Limestone

General Colour Description:

Dark grey to dark grey/black with distincitive pale to white coloured fossil coral sections. The fossils are more clearly visible when the stone is polished.

Hand Specimen Description:

Medium grained, hard, well bedded, bioclastic limestone containing moderately well sorted fossil coral sections of Dibunophyllum Bipartitum and shell fragments, brachiopods and carboniferous tree and leaf matter. The rock darkens when polished.

General Comments:

This stone is a limestone, not a true marble.

Stone Identifiers: Calcareous,  Fossiliferous.
Reacts dilute to HCl? Yes