What is a tufa rock?

Tufa is a highly porous, sedimentary rock (limestone) composed of calcium carbonate, CaCO3. It is formed by biological and chemical precipitation of Calcite or aragonite from cold, supersaturated surface or ground waters.

What is tufa rock what is it used for?

Tufa is light and was used chiefly from Saxon times to the 14th century. Its main use was one for which it seems to have been specially ‘made’: vaulting – such as in the rebuilding of the choir of Canterbury Cathedral following the fire of 1174, and also for the vaulting in Bredon Church, Worcestershire.

Where is tufa rock found?

Tufa deposits also occur as pavements or concretionary deposits in sedimentary lakebeds, and along shorelines of alkaline lakes throughout the world. Tufa is some- times found in terraces of former shore- lines that have been exposed by evapora- tion or by receding lake waters.

How does tufa rock form?

Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of ambient temperature water. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. Tufa is sometimes referred to as (meteogene) travertine.

Is tufa a igneous rock?

Tuff can be classified as either igneous or sedimentary rock. It is usually studied in the context of igneous petrology, although it is sometimes described using sedimentological terms.

What is the difference between tufa and travertine?

The difference between travertine and tufa is porosity– tufa is a type of highly porous travertine that generally forms from cooler waters (not hotsprings). If you’re not a geologist– and even if you are– you might associate the word “travertine” more with fancy tiles and kitchen countertops than with geology.