The Carrara Marble: geology, geomechanics and quarrying

Abstract

The industrial exploitation of the Carrara Marble dates back to I century B.C. with the Romans. After a black out in the Early Mediaeval age due to barbarian invasions, since XIII century the Carrara Marble has becoming more and more used for ornamental purposes and appreciated and requested worldwide. Geologically the Carrara Marble derives from a Tertiary polyphasic tectono-metamorphic deformation of an Early Jurassic epicontinental carbonate platform. That got rise to the diverse merceological types of the Carrara Marble, this and two neo-tectonic sub-vertical fracture systems, NNE-SSW and NW-SE trending respectively and grouped into bands irregularly spaced, control the geo-mining setting of the Carrara Marble. For centuries the Carrara Marble has been excavated only following the feeling the quarrymen had with the rock-mass, but the new cultivation technologies with diamond-wire cutting machines and saw-cutting chains, with big frontal-loaders and excavators, have greatly increased the production and require for a robust design based on reliable geomechanical data. Underground quarrying is increasing because technical and environmental concerns and asks for robust design and in situ stress determinations.

Managing Marble Quarry Waste: Opportunities and Challenges for Circular Economy Implementation

“…Marble exploitation stopped after the fall of the Roman Empire, but then started again during the Renaissance [51], especially due to Michelangelo's preference for Carrara white marble in his masterpieces. Marble exploitation saw a steady increase until the late 20th century, driven by technological advancements and growing international demand [52]. The use of explosive charges in shot holes, known as "Varata", from the 1800s often led to significant waste generation.…”

“…To meet these needs, diamond wire cutting machines and toothed chainsaws were introduced in Carrara quarries, enhancing production efficiency and product quality [46]. These innovations, along with the use of large front loaders and excavators, increased quarry production up to 1.5 Mt at the beginning of 2000; nowadays, this has decreased to about 1 Mt (referring to ornamental block production) [52,53].…”

The Building Stones of Prato’s Cathedral and Bell Tower, Italy

“…As a whole, the Cathedral consists of 19,718 quoins and the Bell Tower of 9359 (Table 1). In the following, a detailed report on these stone is presented, except for the Carrara Marble, imported from Carrara and well-known in the literature [15][16][17]. The stone lends itself well to the cutting process, exploiting the thickness of the layer for its height and then dimensioning it laterally in quoins according to the natural spacing of joints.…”

“…In the following, a detailed report on these stone is presented, except for the Carrara Marble, imported from Carrara and well-known in the literature [15][16][17].…”