Global Heritage Stone: Belgian black ‘marbles’
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Published:October 21, 2020
Abstract
The appellation ‘Belgian black “marbles”’ usually designates dark fine-grained limestones present in the Paleozoic substrate of south Belgium. They have been extracted mostly in Frasnian (Upper Devonian) and Viséan (Lower Carboniferous) strata, in various different localities (Namur, Dinant, Theux, Basècles, Mazy-Golzinne among others). Nearly devoid of fossils and veins, they take a mirror-like polished finish, with a pure black colour. These limestones were already known during Antiquity but were only intensively exploited from the Middle Ages. Many different uses were made of these stones, for architecture, decoration or sculpture, in religious or civil contexts, following all the successive styles,...
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Contents
Global Heritage Stone: Worldwide Examples of Heritage Stones
CONTAINS OPEN ACCESS

Heritage stones are building and ornamental stones that have special significance in human culture. The papers in this volume discuss a wide variety of such materials, including stones from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia. Igneous (basalt, porphyry, granite), sedimentary (sandstone, limestone) and metamorphic (marble, quartzite, gneiss, soapstone, slate) stones are featured. These have been utilized over long periods of time for a wide range of uses contributing to the historical fabric of the built environment. Many of these stones are of international significance and potential Global Heritage Stone Resources – stones that have the requisite qualities for international recognition by the Heritage Stones Subcommission of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The contributions in this volume bring together diverse information on these stones, ranging from their geological setting and quarry locations to mechanical properties, current availability and uses over time. As such, the papers can serve as an entry into the literature on these important stones.
GeoRef
- art
- Belgium
- biomicrite
- biosparite
- building stone
- buildings
- carbonate rocks
- Carboniferous
- color
- compressive strength
- construction materials
- density
- Devonian
- Europe
- exploitation
- Frasnian
- geologic sites
- history
- limestone
- Middle Mississippian
- mineral composition
- Mississippian
- natural materials
- outcrops
- Paleozoic
- porosity
- sedimentary rocks
- strength
- Upper Devonian
- utilization
- variations
- Visean
- Western Europe