Limestone (part 1)

Limestone LandscapesThese pictures all show limestone landscapes. Think of 3 words to describe what you think limestone is like.

SO .. HOW WAS SO .. HOW WAS LIMESTONE REALLY LIMESTONE REALLY

FORMED?FORMED?

The land was covered by a shallow tropical sea As the small animals

and corals died in the sea, their bodies fell to the sea bed.

After million of years this layer was very thick. As it compacted and turned hard, it eventually turned to limestone. The rock we know today.

Q. Is limestone an igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary rock?

Characteristics of Carboniferous Limestone:

• Formed from the remains of organic matter, usually seashells and plants. It was formed under the sea 220-280 million years ago.

• It is a hard, grey sedimentary rock, with a large number of joints (vertical cracks) and bedding planes (horizontal cracks).

• The main process that affects it is chemical weathering.

Planet Earth ‘caves’

Watch the documentary and complete the worksheet

BBC Earth – Caves