Travertine

Travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

Calcium-carbonate-encrusted, yet growing moss, early stage of porous travertine formation.

Travertine is a terrestrial sedimentary rock. It is a natural chemical precipitate of carbonate minerals; aragonite or calcite. This happens from solution in ground and surface waters, and/or geothermally heated hot-springs. Similar (but extremely porous) deposits formed from ambient-temperature water are known as tufa.

The Colosseum built by the Romans, was made of travertine.

Travertine Media

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  Travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, in 2016

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  Tourists climb Dunns River Falls with the help of guides.

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  Badab-e Surt's stepped travertine terrace formations. This travertine owes its red colour terraces to iron carbonate.

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  Tufa and travertine sediments visible on the Una river bed.

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  Mausoleum submerged in a travertine pool at Hierapolis hot springs, Turkey

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  Tufa and travertine deposits on Krka National Park

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  Soda Dam, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico

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  Sacré-Cœur, Paris, (1875–1914)

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  Burghausen Castle, Europe's longest castle, is 1,000 years old and built mainly with travertine.

References

Travertine in a 400 year old wall of the castle Hohen Tübingen. The material is extremely hard and weatherproof. The cavities and impurities - remnents of small debris, scrub and biotic materials - make the rock porous and lightweight.