The Weathering of Wabash Limestone

Limestone is a rock that is relatively soft and susceptible to acidic solutions. For thousands of years people around the world have used this rock to build structures, monuments, and statues. In recent years there has seen an interest in how these rocks tend to weather based on human and environmental factors around them that can cause a change. This study focuses on how different pH levels in water can affect limestone that is found in Indiana. Samples were taken from a limestone road cut that is 0.7 miles away from downtown Wabash. These samples were then saturated in three different pH levels 3, 5, and 7 over a month long period. Thin sections are made from the samples and examined under the microscope to see the effect of the different levels of acidic water. The results show the pH levels have great effect on the limestone with time. Also, the lower the pH, the greater the impact on the limestone. Images of the weathering of the limestone with time over the study time indicate that the weathering effects of the acidic water is gradual and unlikely to happen right away as also observed in limestone monuments rock that is used to build limestone monumentshttp://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2016/1022/thumbnail.jp