Encyclopedy Index |
|
|
Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their quarries, include: Parian from Greece Penteli from Greece Carrara from Italy Proconnesus from Turkey Macael from Spain Makrana from India Danby from Vermont Yule from Colorado White marbles, like Carrara, have been prized for sculpture since classical times. This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic "waxy" look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of the human body. |
|
|
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
|