Fossils
The sculpture gives the idea about the inside life of a raw piece of stone, which actually stamped in it the planet history. The hard stone we see now was full of life and still we can see fossils of different bizarre creatures lived on this place millions of years ago.
The Marble used to create this sculpture was from Paris Creek.
Paris Creek - named after early settlers
Situated between Meadows and Strathalbyn, Paris Creek is a typical dairy and sheep farming area, lush and green for nine months of the year. It was first settled around 1850 when the Paris family established a peach orchard and pig farm.
Marble was quarried in the area from perhaps as early as 1858 and the quarry was worked in conjunction with the quarry at Macclesfield.
Stone from this quarry has been used prominently on many local public buildings including the Anglican Church and War Memorial in Macclesfield and the Catholic Church in Strathalbyn. Paris Creek marble has also been used on the State War Memorial.
Paris Creek Today
Though the marble quarry is now disused evidence of the cranes, the holes in the ground, some marble blocks and the old workers’ shack which was made from flattened out 44 gallon drums are still there.
What is Marble?
Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to the heat and pressure of metamorphism. It is composed primarily of the mineral calcite (CaCO3) and usually contains other minerals such as: clay minerals, micas, quartz,pyrite, iron oxides and graphite.
Under the conditions of metamorphism the calcite in the limestone recrystallizes to form a rock that is a mass of interlocking calcite crystals. A related rock, dolomitic marble, is produced when dolostone is subjected to heat and pressure.
How Does Marble Form?
Most marble forms at convergent plate boundaries where large areas of Earth's crust are exposed to regional metamorphism. Some marble also forms by contact metamorphism when a hot magma body heats adjacent limestone or dolostone.
Before metamorphism, the calcite in the limestone is often in the form of lithified fossil material and biological debris. During metamorphism, this calcite recrystallizes and the texture of the rock changes. In the early stages of the limestone-to-marble transformation the calcite crystals in the rock are very small. In a freshly-broken hand specimen they might only be recognized as a sugary sparkle of light reflecting from their tiny cleavage faces when the rock is played in the light.
As metamorphism progresses the crystals grow larger and become easily recognizable as interlocking crystals of calcite. Recrystallization obscures the original fossils and sedimentary structures of the limestone. It also occurs without forming foliation which normally is found in rocks that are altered by the directed pressure of a convergent plate boundary.
Recrystallization is what marks the separation between limestone and marble. Marble that has been exposed to low levels of metamorphism will have very small calcite crystals. The crystals become larger as the level of metamorphism progresses. Clay minerals within the marble will alter to micas and more complex silicate structures as the level of metamorphism increases.
Physical Properties and Uses of Marble
Marble occurs in large deposits that can be hundreds of feet thick and geographically extensive. This allows it to be economically mined on a large scale with some mines and quarries producing millions of tons per year.
Most marble is made into either crushed stone or dimension stone. Crushed stone is used as an aggregate in highways, railroad beds, building foundations and other types of construction. Dimension stone is produced by sawing marble into pieces of specific dimensions. These are used in monuments, buildings, sculptures, paving and other projects.
Colour: Marble is usually a light-coloured rock. When it is formed from a limestone with very few impurities it will be white in colour. Marble that contains impurities such as clay minerals, iron oxides or bituminous material can be bluish, grey, pink, yellow or black in colour.
Marble of extremely high purity with a bright white colour is very useful. It is often mined, crushed to a powder and then processed to remove as many impurities as possible. The resulting product is called "whiting". This powder is used as a colouring agent and filler in paint, whitewash, putty, plastic, grout, cosmetics, paper and other manufactured products.
Acid Reaction: Being composed of calcium carbonate, marble will react in contact with many acids, neutralizing the acid. It is one of the most effective acid neutralization materials. Marble is often crushed and used for acid neutralization in streams, lakes and soils.
It is used for acid neutralization in the chemical industry. A pharmaceutical product known as "Tums" is a small calcium carbonate pill, sometimes made from powdered marble, that is used by people who suffer from acid reflux or acid indigestion. Powdered marble is used as an inert filler in other pills.
Hardness: Being composed of calcite, marble has a hardness of three on the Mohs hardness scale. As a result, marble is easy to carve and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. The translucence of marble makes it especially attractive for many types of sculptures.
Ability to Accept a Polish: After being sanded with progressively finer abrasives, marble can be polished to a high lustre. This allows attractive pieces of marble to be cut, polished and used as floor tiles, architectural panels, facing stone, window sills, stair treads, columns and many other pieces of decorative stone.