Why is Limestone important?

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Why is Limestone important?

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that majorly consists of mineral calcite. The limestone might sometimes also consist of pure calcite which is otherwise called as calcium carbonate. Some of the lime stones are made up of calcite as well as sand which are called as dirty lime stones. The animals living in the sea like clams, crinoids, brachiopods and corals are covered by shells. These shells are made of calcium carbonate and this gets accumulated in the sea when the animal dies. The debris that is collected at the bottom of the sea can later get piled up into limestone beds. Lime stones might not have originated from non-biological sources in some cases.

Limestone is mostly used as an agent that adjusts the pH of the soil in which the crops are growing. It is also used as source of nutrients to the plants in the form of calcium. It is an important component of cements used in construction. Limestone can be used as the resource for gas and oil products. Many other reservoir rocks can also act as source for oil and gas.

Limestone is used in preparation of concrete. It is also utilized in making the soils acidic. Wenlock limestone is useful for the paleontologists in knowing the type of organisms that were surviving in the given time and in an environment. This chemical usage will make them also to understand the association of these organisms with each other. The limestone rocks are the source of fossils which gives the idea of the conditions and the atmosphere where Wenlock reef was formed. This reef was found to be formed about 420 million years ago.

Limestone is utilized in manufacturing of glass, used as abrasives, fillers, and as soil conditioners. It is used also in preparation of many chemicals. Lime is majorly used in steel, paper, mining and pulp industries in digesting the liquors and as neutralizing agent.

Author: Hari M

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