Travertine << TRAV uhr tihn or TRAV uhr teen >> is a light-colored rock used in building. It is a limestone, a rock made up mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The word travertine comes from an old Roman name for Tivoli, a town in Italy where large deposits of the mineral occur.
Much travertine is white, tan, or yellow. Other common shades include orange, red, and brown. Most travertine has bands of different textures that range from dense, solid strips to loose layers of fine, threadlike fibers. Tufa is a type of spongy, less compact travertine.
Travertine forms when cooling or evaporating water deposits dissolved calcium carbonate. It appears around the world in limestone caves, where it makes up such formations as stalagmites, which rise from the floor, and stalactites, which hang from the ceiling. Travertine can also form in cracks near faults (breaks in Earth’s crust) and around the mouths of warm or hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Travertine is commonly used as decorative building stone and floor tile. It is easy to cut and polish and has interesting structures and color patterns.
See also Limestone; Stalactite; Stalagmite.
