Gravestones (a.k.a. headstones / tombstones) in modern American cemeteries are usually made of "granite" - a term in the retail trade for any hard stone that will take a fine polish. Geologically, some are granites and some are not. In the 1800s, many gravestones were made of marble, a crystalline-textured metamorphic rock composed of calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Rainwater is naturally acidic (slightly), with carbonic acid - H2CO3. Over time, marble will slowly dissolve in rainwater. Older marble gravestones typically have poorly legible carvings.
This example has an 1884 date.
Locality: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Licking County, east-central Ohio, USA
Tags: marble gravestone gravestones headstone headstones Cedar Hill Cemetery Newark Ohio cemeteries graveyard graveyards
Gravestones (a.k.a. headstones / tombstones) in modern American cemeteries are usually made of "granite" - a term in the retail trade for any hard stone that will take a fine polish. Geologically, some are granites and some are not. In the 1800s, many gravestones were made of marble, a crystalline-textured metamorphic rock composed of calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Rainwater is naturally acidic (slightly), with carbonic acid - H2CO3. Over time, marble will slowly dissolve in rainwater. Older marble gravestones typically have poorly legible carvings.
This gravestone is undated, but marks the grave of a veteran of the American Civil War ("War Between the States").
Locality: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Licking County, east-central Ohio, USA
Tags: marble gravestone gravestones headstone headstones Cedar Hill Cemetery Newark Ohio cemeteries graveyard graveyards
Gravestones (a.k.a. headstones / tombstones) in modern American cemeteries are usually made of "granite" - a term in the retail trade for any hard stone that will take a fine polish. Geologically, some are granites and some are not. In the 1800s, many gravestones were made of marble, a crystalline-textured metamorphic rock composed of calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Rainwater is naturally acidic (slightly), with carbonic acid - H2CO3. Over time, marble will slowly dissolve in rainwater. Older marble gravestones typically have poorly legible carvings.
The old marble tablet gravestone seen here was originally oriented upright. Differential loading of the soil by the weight of the gravestone over time has tilted it. Creep may have played a role as well, even though this is not a steep hillside. The closer gravestone toppled over long ago and was left in place (why?).
"Creep" is a geologic term for slow migration of rock or soil due to gravity. It can be observed on some steep hillsides where trees have non-vertical trunks. Some anthropogenic constructs can be noticeably affected by creep - for example, power line poles, telephone poles, and gravestones.
Locality: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Licking County, east-central Ohio, USA
Tags: marble gravestone gravestones headstone headstones Cedar Hill Cemetery Newark Ohio cemeteries graveyard graveyards
Gravestones (a.k.a. headstones / tombstones) in modern American cemeteries are usually made of "granite" - a term in the retail trade for any hard stone that will take a fine polish. Geologically, some are granites and some are not. In the 1800s, many gravestones were made of marble, a crystalline-textured metamorphic rock composed of calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Rainwater is naturally acidic (slightly), with carbonic acid - H2CO3. Over time, marble will slowly dissolve in rainwater. Older marble gravestones typically have poorly legible carvings.
The old marble tablet gravestone seen here was originally oriented upright. Gravestones can become tilted by: 1) differential loading of the soil by the weight of the stone over time; 2) creep - the slow migratin of rock or soil due to gravity; or 3) tree root growth.
This gravestone was tilted and pushed upward by the growth of one or more shallow subsurface roots from the tree at right.
Locality: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Licking County, east-central Ohio, USA
Tags: marble gravestone gravestones headstone headstones Cedar Hill Cemetery Newark Ohio cemeteries graveyard graveyards
Gravestones (a.k.a. headstones / tombstones) in modern American cemeteries are usually made of "granite" - a term in the retail trade for any hard stone that will take a fine polish. Geologically, some are granites and some are not. In the 1800s, many gravestones were made of marble, a crystalline-textured metamorphic rock composed of calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Rainwater is naturally acidic (slightly), with carbonic acid - H2CO3. Over time, marble will slowly dissolve in rainwater. Older marble gravestones typically have poorly legible carvings.
This gravestone is made of sandstone, not marble. Weathering and erosion have removed material from the middle of both sides
Locality: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Licking County, east-central Ohio, USA
Tags: sandstone gravestone gravestones headstone headstones Cedar Hill Cemetery Newark Ohio cemeteries graveyard graveyards