Why Does Acid Rain Attack Marble Statues

In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened surfaces removal of material and loss of carved details.

Why does acid rain attack marble statues.

Sulfur dioxide plus water makes sulfurous acid. Acid rain acid rain effects on human made structures. Acids in the rain react with the calcium compounds in the stones to create gypsum which then flakes off. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves.

Acid rain has also attacked the chiseled words on some tombstones rendering them unreadable. Buildings and statues made from rock are damaged as a result. Sulfur dioxide an acid rain precursor can react directly with limestone in the presence of water to form gypsum which eventually. That is why forests and lakes in the countryside can be harmed by acid rain that originates in cities.

Both are composed of calcite caco 3 other types of stone which are composed of silicate minerals such as granite or sandstone are intrinsically more resistant to acid attack. The acids in acid rains can react with caco by producing soluble salts. The environment can generally adapt to a certain amount of acid rain. The most notable effects occur on marble and limestone which are common building materials found in many historic structures monuments and gravestones.

Stone surface material may be lost all over or only in spots that are more reactive. In exposed areas of buildings and statues we see roughened. Acid rain harms fish and trees but it also makes chemical weathering happen more quickly. The reaction between caco and h so acid is caco s h so aq caso aq co g h o l caso is slightly soluble in water.

It is well established that either wet or dry deposition of sulfur dioxide significantly increases the rate of corrosion on limestone sandstone and marble. Over decades of exposure to acid rain the details of a statue can be lost slowly turning them into featureless blobs. How does acid precipitation affect marble and limestone buildings. When sulfurous sulfuric and nitric acids in polluted air and rain react with the calcite in marble and limestone the calcite dissolves.

This is worse when the rock is limestone. Acid deposition also affects human made structures. Acid rain effects on buildings. Old statues monuments and tombstones are vulnerable to acid rain because they were made of limestone.

Acids have a corrosive effect on limestone or marble buildings or sculptures. Acid precipitation affects stone primarily in two ways. Although many different types of stone have been used for sculpture the most vulnerable to potential acid rain damage are marble and limestone steiger 2015 the former is essentially a recrystallized form of the latter. That s why acid rain dissolves statues made of marble.

Acid rain can damage buildings historic monuments and statues especially those made of rocks such as limestone and marble that contain large amounts of calcium carbonate.