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Title: | Geochemistry, mineralogy and textural properties of the lower globigerina limestone used in the built heritage |
Authors: | Bianco, Lino |
Keywords: | Limestone -- Malta Globigerina -- Malta Globigerina limestone -- Malta Building, Stone -- Malta Weathering -- Malta Weathering of buildings -- Malta Bioturbation -- Malta |
Issue Date: | 2021 |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Citation: | Bianco, L. (2021). Geochemistry, mineralogy and textural properties of the lower globigerina limestone used in the built heritage. Minerals, 11(7), 740. |
Abstract: | The Lower Globigerina Limestone Member, the oldest member of the Globigerina Lime- stone Formation, outcrops over most of the Maltese archipelago, notably Malta. It has provided the islands’ main building material since the Neolithic period. This paper makes available a corpus of findings relating to the geochemistry, mineralogy and textural properties of this limestone—mostly unpublished and undertaken nearly three decades ago—which provide a useful source to understand its behavior. Bulk chemistry and mineralogy showed that non-carbonate and clay content is higher in limestone of inferior quality. Textural analyses gave insight into the fabric of the matrix, including inter- and intra-particle porosity. These analyses were supplemented by an array of petrophysical tests, including color (a parameter which has a correlation with density and Fe2O3 content), ultrasonic pulse velocity and compressive strength. The findings not only give insight into the composition of the limestone, using insoluble residue content of ≥5% as the threshold of inferior quality lithotype, but provided an insight into the physico-mechanical bonding present, a characteristic which has a bearing on the deterioration of this limestone. |
URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/79960 |
Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works - FacBenAUD |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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minerals-1243997-pdf revised 7.13.pdf | 5.91 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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