St. Genevieve marble
Encyclopedia
St. Genevieve marble, also known as Ste. Genevieve marble, is an oolitic
limestone
(or "marble
") found in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri
. It is part of the Archimedes Limestone formation.
It generally comes in two different types. "St. Genevieve Rose" is the name for the marble which comes in deep red, greenish-gray, pink, and rose. "St. Genevieve Gold Vein" is light or medium gray in color, with veins (running from buff
to tan
in color) running through it. Cross-sections of coral
s and crinoid
s can be see in the Gold Vein type.
In the 1910s, it was widely considered the best marble found in the U.S. and known for its strength. It has been widely used in banks, churches, courthouses, government buildings, and other structures.
Oolite
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
(or "marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
") found in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri
Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri
Sainte Genevieve County, often abbreviated Ste. Genevieve County , is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 17,842. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 17,720. The largest city and county seat is...
. It is part of the Archimedes Limestone formation.
It generally comes in two different types. "St. Genevieve Rose" is the name for the marble which comes in deep red, greenish-gray, pink, and rose. "St. Genevieve Gold Vein" is light or medium gray in color, with veins (running from buff
Buff (colour)
Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather.Displayed on the right is the colour buff.EtymologyAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a colour was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat...
to tan
Tan (color)
Tan is a pale whiteish, tawny shade of white. The name is derived from tannum used in the tanning of leather.The first recorded use of tan as a shade name in English was in the year 1590....
in color) running through it. Cross-sections of coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s and crinoid
Crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms . Crinoidea comes from the Greek word krinon, "a lily", and eidos, "form". They live both in shallow water and in depths as great as 6,000 meters. Sea lilies refer to the crinoids which, in their adult form, are...
s can be see in the Gold Vein type.
In the 1910s, it was widely considered the best marble found in the U.S. and known for its strength. It has been widely used in banks, churches, courthouses, government buildings, and other structures.