Stone in Archaeology Database


Tadcaster Stone

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Local Name(s): Tadcaster Stone. Example of Tadcaster Stone
Stone Group: Sedimentary
Stone Type: Limestone
Geology:
Era:   Palaeozoic
Period:   Permian
Epoch:   Lower
Geological Sub-Divisons:

Don Group, Cadeby Formation (formerly known as Lower Magnesian Limestone).

General Colour Description:

Creamy white colour.

Hand Specimen Description:

A hard, compact, well sorted, fine grained dolomitic limestone. This stone is made up of fine grained dolomite crystals forming a dense interlocking texture. The stone may have originally been oolitic since there are numerous rounded structures. Some of these structures remain in the form of a single calcite crystal, some have been dissolved, leaving cavities. Porosity is therefore quite high. Some veining occurs which is infilled by sparry calcite (Hart 1988: 12).

General Comments:

For the purposes of this resource we are using 'Tadcaster stone' as a generic name for the magnesian limestone which was quarried to the west of Tadcaster. Well known older quarries (Thevesdale, Bramham, Huddlestone, Stapleton, Hampole etc) known to have been worked in the Late Medieval period will be assigned to their own stone type.

Stone Identifiers: Magnesian/Dolomitic.
Reacts dilute to HCl? Yes