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 example seen here has a readable date of 1869.
Locality: Bishop Seybert Cemetery, Flat Rock, northern Ohio, USA
Tags: weathered marble gravestone gravestones tombstone tombstones headstone headstones Bishop Seybert Cemetery Flat Rock Ohio cemeteries
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 example seen here has a readable date of 1844.
Locality: Bishop Seybert Cemetery, Flat Rock, northern Ohio, USA
Tags: weathered marble gravestone gravestones tombstone tombstones headstone headstones Bishop Seybert Cemetery Flat Rock Ohio cemeteries
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 example seen here has a readable date of 1818.
Locality: Bishop Seybert Cemetery, Flat Rock, northern Ohio, USA
Tags: weathered marble gravestone gravestones tombstone tombstones headstone headstones Bishop Seybert Cemetery Flat Rock Ohio cemeteries
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 writing on the example seen here is not readable.
Locality: Bishop Seybert Cemetery, Flat Rock, northern Ohio, USA
Tags: weathered marble gravestone gravestones tombstone tombstones headstone headstones Bishop Seybert Cemetery Flat Rock Ohio cemeteries
"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. Seen here is an 1800s marble tablet stone marking a grave in a cemetery. It was originally oriented upright. Differential loading of the soil by the gravestone over time has resulted in a non-vertical orientation, even though the ground is not noticeably a hillside.
Locality: Bishop Seybert Cemetery, Flat Rock, northern Ohio, USA
Tags: creep marble gravestone gravestones tombstone tombstones headstone headstones Bishop Seybert Cemetery Flat Rock Ohio cemeteries