This rock in the memorial is Tennessee Marble on a granite base, according to the Smithsonian inventory. Yes, this memorial is listed in their register.
Tennessee Marble can be found in a few places within Tennessee in the eastern part of the state. Here, in the Appalachian mountains, you can find active quarries. Below is a map of where the marble is believed to be in red and outlined is where it could possibly still be.
Now that you know where Tennessee Marble can be found, lets discuss how it forms. The first thing you need to make marble is dead organic matter and a lot of it. This comes from dead sea life that over millions and millions of years have sank to the bottom of the ocean. Overtime, these layers of dead organic matter become hardened due to the weight of more dead material being laid against it. This newly formed rock is called limestone.
Overtime, the ocean moves and the sea floor gets deeper at a subduction zone, at convergent plate boundary. Here, the rock subjects over the continental crust because it is more dense. Eventually, the rock reaches the upper mantel and begins to melt. Depending on how long, how deep, and the type of rock can determine the outcome. Limestone, when melted naturally forms marble, thus making it a metamorphic rock. This rock is exposed close to the surface when the plate starts to rise instead of subducts.
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Works Cited
http://geology.com/rocks/marble.shtml
www.quora.com
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1. Tennessee Marble in KC? on the first line of your email.
2. Describe the texture AND color of Tennessee Marble at this location.
3. Describe the weathering process of this rock. Is there any rusting or corrosion? If so, where do you see it and why is this occurring?
4. Why are there no fossils in this rock even though Tennessee Marble was originally limestone?
5. Would you expect to see fossils in this rock if you split it open?