Marble tombstone in national cemeteries as indicators of stone damage: general methods

The role of acid deposition in damage to materials exposed to the environment is a matter of national concern. Marble tombstones are an example of widely distributed materials of uniform composition which have known times of exposure. A study of marble tombstones in 23 national cemeteries and soldiers lots in private cemeteries identified the marble source, the method of cutting, historical data, and physical measurements. The results show that fine-grained Vermont marble should be used as a standard in short-term exposure studies because it weathers more rapidly. A comparison of the weathering rates for rural, suburban, and urban cemeteries with comparable climates with high annual precipitation levels indicates that the urban environment causes significant damage beyond that observed in rural environments and that local sources dominate the deposition of damaging pollutants. 16 references, 6 figures, 4 tables.