Monthly Archives: March 2014
58.WHAT IS MARBLE?
Nature is a master baker. Deep inside the earth is her oven, heated thousands of years ago by great rising masses of molten rock. In this oven she baked, and with tremendous pressure turned limestone into hard marble.
In its purest form, marble is white. Different impurities often give it shades of pink, red, yellow, or brown, or form wavy lines or patches in it. Different colored crystals caught in the marble sparkle and flash in the sun’s rays. In some marble the remains of fossils add to its beauty.
57.WHAT IS MAGNESIUM?
Magnesium is one of the most amazing metals known to man. It is so light that it is only two-thirds as heavy as aluminum, and you know from your experience with kitchen utensils how light aluminum is! In fact, magnesium is the lightest metal used in industry.
In addition to its lightness, magnesium has another unusual property. It has a tendency to burn. In the form of dust or fine shavings, it catches fire very easily and burns violently.
56.WHAT IS CORAL?
Coral is one of the most curious and fascinating objects in the world! To begin with, red coral has been prized for jewelry since ancient times. But even more interesting is the amount of superstition that has existed concerning coral.
Romans hung pieces of it around their children’s necks to save them from danger. They believed it could prevent or cure diseases. In some parts of Italy, it is still worn to ward off “the evil eye.” And most fascinating of all—coral has actually changed the geography of the world!
