Does acid rain have an effect on architecture?
Many buildings and monuments are made of stone. Granite is now the most widely used stone for buildings, monuments, and bridges. Granite is primarily composed of silicate minerals, like feldspar and quartz, which are resistant to acid attack. Limestone is the second most used building stone ever since it became popular because of its uniform color and texture and because it could be easily carved. Limestone and marble are primarily composed of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate), which dissolves readily in weak acid; in fact, this characteristic is often used to identify the mineral calcite. Sandstone from local sources was commonly used in the Northeastern United States, especially before 1900. Sandstone is also primarily composed of silica and is thus resistant. A few sandstones are less resistant because they contain a carbonate cement that dissolves readily in weak acid. In our country, marble is used much less often than the other stone types, but it has been used for many bui
