Logo Picture Left SideLogo Picture Right SideLogo Text at Center
Home > Search > Site Map > Alabama

Geology Resources - Alabama

  • Alabama Geological Survey

    Geological Map of Alabama is available on this web site.

    Mineral Resources Program at the Geological Survey of Alabama (The following quotation is used with permission.)

    "Crushed stone, including limestone, dolomite, marble, granite, sandstone, and quartzite, contributes to a thriving mineral industry in the state. Stone, along with sand, gravel, and clay, makes up a multi-million dollar nonfuel minerals industry in Alabama. In 1997, the value of these produced minerals exceeded $735 million.

  • "Approximately 9.1 metric tons of nonfuel minerals are required every year for every person in the United States to maintain the current standard of living. Materials mined in Alabama such as bauxite, chalk, recovered sulfur, salt, and shale are used extensively in both construction and industry. Alabama exports a significant part of its industrial mineral production. Alabama ranks 17th nationally as a nonfuel minerals producer. The Geological Survey maps the distribution of these valuable resources and reports annual production and utilization figures."

  • Map of Alabama, presented by the Alabama Geological Survey.
  • Alabama Geology - Historical Maps of Alabama, presented by the University of Alabama.
  • Alabama Museum of Natural History, Smith Hall, University of Alabama Main Campus, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
  • Alabama State Minerals Information (USGS)
  • Alabama State Rock, presented by Netstate.com.
  • Auburn University Geology & Geography Department
  • Geological Collection, a part of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Tuscaloosa Museum of Natural History, Smith Hall, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
  • Geology of Alabama, presented by the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

  • Mineral and Fossil Museums, Exhibits, & Displays in the United States – Alabama

  • National Geologic Map Database, presented by the United States Geologic Survey.
  • Tallahatta Sandstone Distribution, presented by the University of South Alabama.

  • U. S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet on Alabama

  • The following photographs are from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)
    Plate XX. A. Cliff exposing interbedded, fine-grained, dolomitic marble and phyllite. Rocks of this type occur in a number of places in the west of the crystalline marble area, locally in contact with it and elsewhere separated by a considerable thickness of intervening dolomite. Although the deposits are of no commercial value, they have been in the past considerably prospected. (pp. 162-163) Cliff exposing interbedded, fine-grained, dolomitic marble and phyllite. (Alabama circa 1916)
    Plate XX. B. An exposure of a portion of the 25-foot layer of variegated marble w2hich outcrops about 4 miles southeast of Calera, Shelby County, and which belongs to the Montevallo shale and sandstone formation. The ride bearing this marble crosses Buxahatchee Creek in SE of SE of S. 5, T. 24-N., R. 14-E. (pp. 162-163) An exposure of a portion of the 25-foot layer of variegated marble w2hich outcrops about 4 miles southeast of Calera, Shelby County, and which belongs to the Montevallo shale and sandstone formation. (circa 1916)
    Plate XXIII. Entrance chamber in onyx-marble cave near Kymulga, Talladega County. The rock in which the cavern is formed in a dolomite. The onyx-marble deposits are calcite. (pp. 168-169) Entrance chamber in onyx-marble cave near Kymulga, Talladega County. (Alabama, circa 1916)
    Plate XXIV. A. Interbedded phyllite and dolomitic marble from belt to the northwest of the crystalline marble area. The thin beds of marble have been crumpled while the thicker ones have been fractured and faulted. NE S. 33, T. 21-S., R. 3-E. (pp. 170-171) Interbedded phyllite and dolomitic marble from belt to the northwest of the crystalline marble area. (Alabama, circa 1916)
    Plate XXV. A. One of the impurities of marble is silica. This mineral is frequently segregated into layers. Sometimes the deformation of the marble is evidenced by the bending of these layers of impurity which could not readily recrystallize. The photograph shows discarded marble block containing such evidence of folding. (pp. 172-173) One of the impurities of marble is silica. (Alabama, circa 1916)

    Plate XXVI. A. Folding and reverse faulting in interbedded phyllite and marble from formation west of the crystalline marble belt. (pp. 174-175)

    		Folding and reverse faulting in interbedded phyllite and marble from formation west of the crystalline marble belt.
    Plate XXVI. B. The layers of impurities, which mark roughly the position of the bedding plane, are here seen irregularly distributed through the block of marble. This is attributed to drag-folding. (pp. 174-175) The layers of impurities, which mark roughly the position of the bedding plane, are here seen irregularly distributed through the block of marble. (Alabama, circa 1916)
    Plate XXVII. A. In the crystalline marble deposits the marble beds are in many places interstratified with dolomite or contain lenses of dolomite, similar to the chief marble deposits of Vermont. dolomite is less readily recrystallized than calcite and when movements have taken place in the marble beds the dolomite is frequently broken and left in angular fragments or breccia, usually cement with calcite. A portion of a core which was taken from such a broken dolomite layer is here shown. The dark portion is dolomite and the lighter is calcite. (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 176-177) In the crystalline marble deposits the marble beds are in many places interstratified with dolomite or contain lenses of dolomite, similar to the chief marble deposits of Vermont. (Alabama, circa 1916)

Research Resources - Alabama

Printed & Online Sources

NOTE: You can obtain Alabama Geological Survey publications from the publications section of the web site.

Google Book Search: You can use Google Book Search to search for specific subjects in thousands of books available through the Google Book Search - both books under copyright and in the public domain. Hundreds of books are added regularly, so check back if you do not find books on the subject for which you are seeking information.

  • Active Mines and Quarries of Alabama (Map), compiled by Mirza A. Beg and I. David George, 1975 edition, publisher: Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1975.
  • Alabama, A Bicentennial History, by Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton, Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1977.
  • Alabama: A Documentary History to 1900, by Lucille Griffith, University: University of Alabama Press, 1950.
  • Alabama Historical Quarterly - Table of Contents. The Alabama Historical Quarterly was published from 1930 to 1982 by the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH).
  • “Alabama Marble,” in Mine and Quarry Magazine, Sullivan Machinery Co., Chicago, 1908, pp. 246-250. (This article is available in Google Book Search - Full view books in a bound book of “Mine and Quarry” magazine, although many pages are unreadable.)
  • Alabama Piedmont Geology, Second Annual Field Trip, Guidebook, Alabama Geological Society, December 1964: University of Alabama, 64 pp.
  • The Alabama Review: A Quarterly Journal of Alabama History.
  • Alabama - The University of Alabama Press
  • Alabama Heritage
  • Alabama, Her History and Resources, War Record and Public Men, by Willis Brewer, Spartanburg: The Reprint Company Publishers, 1975 (1872).
  • Alabama Historical Quarterly - Table of Contents (published from 1930 to 1982 by the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH)
  • Alabama Railroads, by Wayne Cline, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1997.
  • The Alabama Review – Table of Contents
  • The Alabama Story, by Robert J. Norrell, Tuscaloosa: The Yellowhammer Co., 1993.
  • Alabama, The History of a Deep South State, by William Warren Rogers, Robert David Ward, Leah Rawls Atkins, and Wayne Flynt, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1994.
  • Alabama's Mineral Industry, by T. E. Cook, M. P. Turner, and T. A. Simpson, Alabama Geological Survey Information Ser. 32, 1963, 41 pp.
  • Architecture of the Old South: Mississippi / Alabama, by Mills Lane, New York: Abbeville Press, 1989.
  • Atlas of Alabama Counties, by W. Craig Remington, ed., 2nd ed. Tuscaloosa: Dept. of Geography, Univ. of Alabama, 1998.
  • Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, John H. Long, ed., and Peggy Sinko, comp., Alabama. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
  • Bibliography of the Mineral Resources of Alabama, Exclusive of Coal, Iron, and Petroleum, Circular 93, Alabama Geological Survey, 1974.
  • A Brief History of Sylacauga Marble, by Ruth Beaumont Cook, written in preparation for the Sylacauga Marble Festival April 17-30, 2009, Alabama / Piestrasanta, Italy Cultural Exchange sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, A product of the B. B. Comer Memorial Public Library Foundation, Sylacauga, Alabama, 2009, 34 pp. (You can view both the The Sylacauga “Magic of Marble” Fetival brochure and program from the 2009 festival in PDF format. If you are interested in attending the next annual marble festival in Sylacauga in the spring of 2010: The festival activities will be held from March 24th through the 28th, and the marble carving will be done on March 16.)

  • “A Brief History of the Marble Industry of Sylacauga,” by Edward Dodd, in Alabama Heritage, Vol. 20, Spring 1991, pp. 35-39.

  • Building Sandstones of Northern Alabama, by William James Penhallegon, publisher: University, Alabama, 1940. Series: Alabama. State geologist Circular No. 13. At head of title: Geological Survey of Alabama "Published in cooperation with the Tennessee Valley Authority."
  • The Cement Industry in Alabama, Alabama Geological Survey Circular 14, by E. J. Burchard, 1940, 32 pp.
  • Cement Resources and Lime, Gypsum (Mussel Shoals District) (abs.), by E. C. Eckel, Alabama Acad. Sci. Jour., v. 7, 1935, pp. 35.
  • The Cement Resources of Alabama, by Eugene A. Smith, Brown Printing Company, Alabama Geological Survey No. 8, 1904, 93 pp. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)
  • Contributions to Economic Geology, Bulletin 470, 1910. Short Papers and Preliminary Reports, Part I, Metals and Nonmetals, Except Fuels, by C. W. Hayes, Waldemar Lindgren, United States Geological Survey, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1911, 558 pp. (This book includes a section on the variegated marble southeast of Calera, Shelby County, Alabama.)
  • The Coosa Valley Region: Report on Valley Regions of Alabama, by Henry McCalley, Part 2, Alabama Geol. Survey, 1897.
  • “The Crystalline Marbles of Alabama,” Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., vol. 27, pp. 437-450, 1916.
  • Description of the Bessemer and Vandiver Quadrangles (Alabama), by Charles Butts, U.S. Geological Survey Geological Atlas, Folio 221, 1927, 22 pp.
  • Description of the Montevallo-Columbiana Quadrangles (Alabama), by Charles Butts, U.S. Geological Survey Geological Atlas, Folio 226, 1940b, 20 pp.
  • Directory of Commercial Minerals in Georgia and Alabama Along the Central Georgia Railroad, T. P. Maynard, J. M. Mallory, and R. T. Stull, Savannah, Georgia: Central of Georgia Railway Indus. Dept., 1923, 134 pp.
  • Exploring Alabama Caves, Bulletin 102, by Thomas W. Daniel, Jr., and William D. Coe, 1973. (PDF) 45.2 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • General Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Limestone County, Alabama, by W. M. McMaster and W. F. Harris Jr., Alabama Geological Survey County Report 11, 1963, 43 pp.
  • Geologic Map of Alabama, by Charles Butts, Montgomery Alabama: Alabama Geological Survey, 1926.
  • Geologic Map of Limestone County, Alabama, 33x36 inches. Colored, SM 13, Alabama Geological Survey, 1960.
  • Geologic Map of Tuscaloosa and Cottondale Quadrangles, Alabama, Showing Areal Geology and Structures of Upper Cretaceous Formations, by L. C. Conant, D. H. Eargle, W. H. Monroe, and J. H. Morris. U.S. Geological Survey Oil and Gas Preliminary Inv. Map 37, scale 1 inch=1 mile, 1945. (map)
  • Geological Map of Alabama: Chart to Accompany Geological Map of Alabama, E. A. Smith, and assistants, Geological Survey, Alabama, 1894.
  • Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Cherokee County, Alabama, Bulletin 79 (A Reconnaissance), by Lawson V. Causey, 1965. (PDF) 2.74 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Greene County, Alabama, Bulletin 86, by Kenneth D. Wahl, 1966. (PDF) 20.0 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Montgomery County, Alabama, Bulletin 68, Part A, by D. B. Knowles, H. L. Reade, and J. C. Scott, 1963. (with special reference to the Montgomery area). (PDF) 28.9 MB. (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Geology and Ground-Water Resources of St. Clair County, Alabama, Bulletin 73, (A Reconnaissance) by Lawson V. Causey, 1963. (PDF) 4.78 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Tuscaloosa County Alabama, An Interim Report, Information Series 14, by J. D. Miller, Jr., and L. V. Causey, University, Alabama, 1958 (PDF) 10.9 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Geology and Marble Resources of the Sylacauga Marble District, Bulletin 131, Alabama Geological Survey, 1989.
  • The Geology and Mineral Resources of Cherokee County, Alabama, by Edgar Bowles, Alabama Geological Survey Circular 15, 1941, 38 pp.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of Clay County, with Special Reference to the Graphite Industry, Circular 1, Alabama Geological Survey, 1923. (Also issued as Special Report 12.) (out of print)
  • The Geology and Mineral Resources of Limestone County, Alabama, A Reconnaissance Survey, Circular 46, Alabama Geological Survey, 1968. (out of print)
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Fisk quadrangle (Madison Co.), Alabama, QS 5, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Leighton Quadrangle (Colbert Co.), Alabama, QS 7, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Moontown Quadrangle (Madison Co.) Alabama, QS 1, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the New Hope Quadrangle (Madison Co.), Alabama, S 3, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the New Market Quadrangle (Madison County), Alabama, QS 8, Alabama Geological Survey, 1982.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Pride Quadrangle (Colbert Co.), Alabama, QS 4, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Toney Quadrangle (Madison Co.), Alabama, QS 2, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Town Creek Quadrangle, (Colbert and Lawrence Cos.) Alabama, QS 12, Alabama Geological Survey, 1993.
  • Geology and Mineral Resources of the Tuscumbia Quadrangle [Colbert Co.], Alabama, QS 6, Alabama Geological Survey, 1975.
  • Geology of Alabama, by G. I. Adams, Charles, L. W. Stepheneson, and Wythe Cooke, Alabama Geological Survey Spec. Rept. 14, 1926, 312 pp.

  • Geology of Gantt’s Quarry and the Sylacauga Marble, by A. S. Glover, Georgia Marble Company, Alabama Calcium Products Division, 1983.

  • Geology of the Elkmont Quadrangle, Alabama-Tennessee, by W. M. McMaster, U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Geological Inv. Map I-419, 1965a, 7 pp. (map)
  • Geology of the Salem Quadrangle, Alabama-Tennessee, by W. M. McMaster, U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Inv. Map I-420, 1965b, 10 pp. (map)
  • Geology of the Southern Inner Piedmont, Alabama and Southwest Georgia, Guidebook 3-7, by Mark G. Steltenpohl, Stephen A. Kish, and Michael J. Neilson, Guidebook for Field Trip 7, for 39th Annual Meeting, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 7-8, 1990 (PDF) 21.2 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)

  • “Giuseppe Moretti,” in the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

  • “ Giuseppe Moretti,” in Alabama Heritage, by Jennifer M. Willard, No. 20, Spring 1991.

  • Giuseppe Moretti: Master Sculptor and Father of Vulcan, by Miriam Fowler, for the Birmingham Museum of Art.

  • A Guidebook To The Mississippian Rocks and Fossils of North Alabama, ES 13, Alabama Geological Survey, 2000.
  • The Gulf South Historical Review - Table of Contents (formerly titled The Gulf Coast Historical Review – description of book available on Google Books)

  • Herd Family Records located in the B. B. Comer Library Collection.

  • High Calcium Deposits in the Newala Limestone, Circular 149, Alabama Geological Survey, 1990.
  • Historic Alabama Hotels and Resorts, by James Frederick Sulzby, University: Univ. of Alabama Press, 1960.
  • History of Alabama, by Albert James Pickett, Tuscaloosa: Willo Publishing Company, 1962 (1851).
  • History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, by Thomas M. Owen, Spartanburg: The Reprint Company Publishers 1978 (1921). (The 1921 version of this book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books.)

  • “History of Talladega County Prior to the Civil War,” in Moore’s History of Alabama, Stanley Brooks Russell, Vol. 2, 1927, pp. 781.

  • Index to the Mineral Resources of Alabama, with map and illustrations, E. A. Smith and Henry McCalley, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1904, 79 pp. (Some of the contents include: The Stone: Limestones & Dolomite, Marbles, & Lithographic Stone; Clays & Cement; Building Stones: Limestones, Sandstones, Granites & Other Igneous Rocks, Paving & Curbstones; Slates; Road & Ballast Materials; & Millstones, Grindstones, and Whetstones.) (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)
  • Index to the Mineral Resources of Alabama, by W. B. Jones, Alabama Geological Survey Bulletin 28, 1926, 250 pp.
  • Index to the Minerals and Rocks of Alabama, by H. D. Pallister, Alabama Geological Survey Bulletin 65, 1955, 55 pp.
  • Industrial Minerals of the Southeastern United States-Economic Mineral Resources in Central Alabama, Guidebook 3-3, by Karen F. Rheams, Guerry H. McClellan, Guidebook for Field Trip 3, for 39th Annual meeting, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 4, 1990 (out of print) (PDF) 6.10 MB (This online publication is available on the Alabama Geological Survey web site.)
  • Know Alabama! The Geology and Mineral Resources of Alabama, Bulletin 51, (with) a bibliography for schools, Alabama Geological Survey, 1942. (out of print)
  • "Limestone and Dolomite in the Birmingham District, Alabama," by Charles Butts, in Bulletin 315, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1907, pp. 247-255.
  • Limestone Resources of Alabama, SM 172, Alabama Geological Survey, 1984.
  • A Location Guide for Rockhounds, (PDF) Collected by Robert C. Beste, PG, St. Louis, Missouri: Hobbitt Press, 2nd ed., December 1996, 148 pp. (Includes chapters on “Mineral Locations by State,” “Appendix and Glossary,” and “Bibliography.”)
  • "Marble Formation of the Cahaba River, Alabama," by P. Byrne, Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 72, 1901, p. 400; Trans. Eng. Assoc. South, Vol. 12, 1902, pp. 48-59.
  • The Materials and Manufacture of Portland Cement, by Edwin C. Eckel, Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin No. 8, Brown Printing Company, 1904, 93 pp. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  • Mercer Collection, located in the Archives of the Birmingham Public Library.

  • Mineral Resources Map of Alabama, 17x22 inches. Colored, SM 124, Alabama Geological Survey, 1973.
  • Mineral Resources of the Alabama Piedmont, Basic data, SM 200, Alabama Geological Survey, 1984.
  • Mineral Resources of the Appalachian Region, Geological Survey Professional Paper 580, United States Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1968, 492 pp. (Covers these states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.)
  • Mineral Resources Map of Alabama, 17x22 inches. Colored, SM 124, Alabama Geological Survey, 1973.
  • Mineral Resources of the Valley and Ridge Province, Alabama, Bulletin 147, Alabama Geological Survey, 1992.
  • Modern Memorial Designs: America’s Most Beautiful White Marble, written and published by Moretti-Harrah Marble Corp., Sylacauga, Alabama, 1936.

  • Moretti Collection located in the Archives of the Birmingham Public Library.

  • Natural Resources of the Tennessee Valley Region in Alabama, by R. M. Harper, Alabama Geological Survey Spec. Report 17, 1942, 93 pp.

  • “Old Marble Tombstones in Alabama,” by Carolyn L. Luttrell, a paper read at the annual meeting of the Alabama Historical Association, University of Alabama, on April 16, 1949 . Subsequently published in the July 1950 issue of The Alabama Review.

  • Place Names in Alabama, by Virginia O. Foscue, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1989.
  • Preliminary Report on the Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18, with a Preliminary Map of The Crystalline Marble Deposits of Alabama, by William F. Prouty, Alabama Geological Survey, 1916, 212 pp.
  • Railroads in Alabama Politics: 1875-1914, by James F. Doster, University: University of Alabama Press, 1957.
  • Report on the Valley Regions of Alabama (Paleozoic strata). Pt. 2, On the Coosa Valley Region, by Henry McCalley, Montgomery, Alabama, Alabama Geological Survey, 1897, 862 pp.
  • Rivers of History: Life on the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Cahaba, and Alabama, by Harvey H. Jackson, Tuscaloosa: Univ. of Alabama Press, 1995.
  • “Rural Southern Gravestones: Sacred Artifacts in the Upland South Folk Cemetery,” by Donald Gregory Jeane, Markers IV, pp. 55-84, Association for Gravestone Studies. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, USA)
  • The Salt Mountain Limestone of Alabama, B 46, Alabama Geological Survey, 1940.
  • Second Biennial Report on the Geology of Alabama, Tuomey, 1858, (information on Alabama marble pp. 116-121).
  • Selected Industrial Mineral Resource Sites and Processing Facilities in West Alabama, Field Trip Guidebook For Short Course on Valuation of Industrial Mineral Resources, November 18-21, 1991, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, GB 4, Alabama Geological Survey, 1991.
  • “Statistics of Mineral Production for 1914,”Bulletin 16, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1915, pp. 60-62.
  • Statistics of the Mineral Production of Alabama for 1925, by W. B. Jones, Alabama Geological Survey Bulletin 34, 1928a, 185 pp.
  • Structural Analysis of Sheath Folds in the Sylacauga Marble Group, Talladega Slate Belt, Talladega County, Alabama, Circular 164, Alabama Geological Survey, 1992.
  • Structural Development of the Southernmost Appalachians, Third Annual Field Trip, 1965, Guidebook, Alabama Geological Society, University of Alabama, 69 pp.
  • Structure and Petrography of the Hillabee Sill and Associated Metamorphics of Alabama, by R. H. Griffin, Alabama Geological Survey Bulletin 63, 1951, 74 pp.
  • Summary Report on the Building Limestones of the Russellville District (Alabama), C 8, Alabama Geological Survey, 1928.
  • Summary Report on the Mineral Resources of Southwest Alabama, IS 65, Alabama Geological Survey, 1986.
  • The Technology of Marble Quarrying, U. S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 106, by Oliver Bowles, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1916.
  • Thin Bedded Sandstones of the Guntersville Area, (Alabama), by Charles E. Hunter, with the cooperation of George L. Richardson, Series: Alabama. State Geologist Circular No. 12, publisher: University, Alabama, 1940, 31 pp.
  • University of Alabama Press
  • The Valley Regions of Alabama, by Henry McCalley, Pt. II, Alabama Geological Survey, 1897.
  • "Variegated Marble Southeast of Calera, Shelby County, Alabama," by Charles Butts, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 470, 1911, pp. 237-239.

Stone Carvers, Stone Cutters, etc., in Alabama

  • Early Grave Stone Carvers in or Near Greene County, Alabama, presented on by the ALGenWeb web site, by Kim Jacobson.

    The following stone carvers’/company names are listed on this web site in addition to photographs of cemetery stones that they signed: Alexander HERD, Eutaw, Alabama; HERD & Bros., G. Herd; Thomas H. HOLT, Birmingham, Alabama; and B. J. HUGHES, Vienna, Alabama.

  • Giuseppe Moretti, Sculptor - Giuseppe Moretti by Jennifer M. Willard, Alabama Heritage, No. 20, Spring 1991, site of the Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham, Alabama. One of the cities that Mr. Moretti worked and created his pieces was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
    • Moretti Collection located in the Archives of the Birmingham Public Library.
    • Sylacauga, Talladega County, Alabama – Giuseppe Moretti, Italian Sculptor & Quarry Operator, from A brief history of Sylacauga Marble, by Ruth Beaumont Cook, B. B. Comer Memorial Public Library Foundation, 2009, pp. 6, 11-17.

      According to this book, Giuseppe Moretti quarried and promoted the use of Sylacauga marble for statuary and construction. Photographs of Giuseppe Moretti’s works and studio and home are included.

    • Giuseppe Moretti – the following excerpts of the history of Giuseppe Morette are from the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

      “Giuseppe Moretti (1857-1935), an Italian-born classical sculptor, made an extraordinary impact on the state of Alabama through his design and execution of Birmingham’s 56-foot iron statue of Vulcan and his promotion of Alabama marble as a medium for fine sculpture…..”

      • “…Moretti decided to find a way to buy land and establish his own quarry in Alabama. He hauled a sample block of the gleaming white stone back to his studio in Birmingham and carved The Head of Christ, a work that he carried with him to every place that he lived for the rest of his life…..”

    • Giuseppi Moretti – Marble Quarry, 1935 (Photograph in the Encyclopedia of Alabama)

      Marble Quarry, 1935

      “During the early twentieth century, Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti, whose first contribution to Alabama was the Vulcan statue in Birmingham, used Sylacauga marble for a number of his works. During the 1930s the marble industry fought the Great Depression and saw larger operations such as the Alabama Marble Company absorb smaller ones.”

[Top of Page]