Geography

• Less than 10 years ago, Italy (and Tivoli in particular) nearly had a monopoly on the world production of travertine. Demand for the stone has increased dramatically in the U.S. in particular; current demand stands at 0.85 million tons of stone. While a few places in the western U.S. have begun to produce this, the stone is still mostly imported, but the sources have become more diversified, including Turkey, Mexico and Peru alongside the traditional Italy.
  
  

Types

• Travertine comes in two finishes. One is the natural surface of the stone, which is pitted and has a worn appearance; the other is "filled" and then polished to a high-gloss finish. The colors available vary from a gray to a warm red, and the most common travertine is a sandy tan color.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Many people mistakenly call this stone either travertine marble or travertine limestone. Both are understandable. When filled and polished, travertine does bear a strong similarity to marble, especially in its tile form. When unpolished and natural, the pitted, worn surface is often mistaken for the "soft" surface of lime stone. Travertine is actually a type of rock and is not marble or limestone.
  
  

Identification

• Travertine is formed by water rich in carbon dioxide dissolving limestone and crystallizing again when the carbon dioxide leaves due to atmospheric changes. The recrystallized deposit is travertine. Often the deep pits that are found in it are vacated biological materials like moss and algae that the rock crystallized around. Because of this formation, travertine is often found on waterfalls.
  
  

History

• Travertine was mainly found in Tivoli, Italy, and derives its name (Lapis tiburtinus) from this region, originally known as Tibur. Travertine has become a bastardization of this name. Travertine was a primary building material during the Middle Ages, but it was actually very rarely used as flooring. It was often used to construct walls. Today, the majority of travertine is cut into tiles. Throughout hundreds of years, it has created such natural wonders as the Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone and the natural dams of the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.