Jurnal Inovasi Teknologi dan Rekayasa ISSN: 2581-1274 Vol. 5, No 1, Jan-June 2020, pp. 1-1 1 DOI: 10.31572/inotera.Vol5.Iss1.2020.ID93 W : http://inotera.poltas.ac.id | E : inotera@poltas.ac.id Physical-Chemical Characteristics of South Aceh Marble and Its Suitability for Tiles Application L. Lindawati ab , I. Irwansyah a , N. Fitriadi a , M. Silviana c a Departement of Mecahnical Engineering, Polytechnic of South Aceh, Tapaktuan, Indonesia b Departement of Mecahnical Engineering, Abulyatama University, Lampoh Keudee, Indonesia c Departement of Civil Engineering, AlMuslim University,Peusangan, Indonesia 1 lindawati203@gmail.com* I. Introduction The utilization of natural resources has been increased due to the increasing demand for their uses in contemporary building decoration. The natural stone resources present the distinguished characteristics compare to other mineral resources regarding the availability of different types and colors that can be present in the same area [1]. Among natural stones, marble offers attractive and sophisticated appearance. Marble is a metamorphic rock that is widely distributed in the Earth’s continental layer. It consists of a number of minerals, especially calcium carbonate. Seeing as antiquity and aesthetic appeal, it has been used as a construction material such as flooring tiles in buildings and monuments [2-5]. South Aceh, is a district with abundant marble resources. To date, the South Aceh marble is generally found in various colors in including white, grey, and dark, often occurring in combination. Despite its high quantity, marbles from South Aceh has been not properly utilized. This is primarily because the potentialities of these marbles are not evaluated, which are very important to the choice of any deposit for a particular purpose. In the past some work has been carried out on the evaluation of appearance and mineralogical properties of these marbles [6-7]. In order to enhance their use for building material and other potential industrial applications, the physical and chemical properties of the marbles need to be analyzed. Knowing the physical properties of rocks can determine the quality of the marble. Thus, this paper aims to contribute to the study of physicochemical properties of marble samples from Gunung Kerambil, Alur Kering and Meukek area in South Aceh District, to evaluate their potential as raw materials and to discover its suitability for industrial purposes. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Accepted Marble is a metamorphic rock that is widely distributed in the Earth’s continental layer. Regarding its antiquity and aesthetic appeal, it has been widely used as a construction material such as flooring tiles in buildings and monument. Physical and chemical properties of natural stones play an important role on deciding their application area as a building stone. This study reports the physicochemical analysis of marble stones from the Gunung Kerambil (GK), Alur Kering (AK) and Meukek (M) area in South Aceh District. Density, water absorption and chemical analyses of the marble samples were determined. Physical properties of samples were determined through laboratory measurements. Chemical characterizations were made using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) method. Based on,water absorption test results, the marbles from South Aceh are applicable for tile application. Copyright © 2020 Politeknik Aceh Selatan. All rights reserved. Keywords: Marble South Aceh Physical Chemical