The Thermal Degradation of Marble

Abstract

The heating and cooling of Pentelicon marble through the range of temperature encountered on rock surfaces in warm deserts lead to a measurable reduction in rock strength after only a few cycles. Even though no blocks of marble suffered from visible cracking, the SEM study showed that the nature of the calcite grain interactions changed. Such changes in grain to grain contact, and in rock strength, may permit other weathering processes to be more effective, thereby accelerating the rate of desert weathering.