Editing Oolitic, Indiana (section)

==Geology==
The town is built upon [[oolitic limestone]], which gives the town's name. The town was founded for the purpose of quarrying this material, for building purposes.

Oolitic was originally platted as "Limestone" on September 26, 1888. In 1896, the name was sent to Washington, D.C., to allow a post office to be established. The request was refused because of a town already named Limestone, Indiana. Doctor R. B. Short suggested using "Oolitic", and Oolitic became incorporated on November 4, 1901.
The word Oolitic was used as an adjective for oolitic limestone (derived from the Greek word [[oolite]], meaning eggs and stone). Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and quartz, along with the small shells and eggs left behind when this area was covered by an inland sea.
Found immediately north of Oolitic are some of the largest limestone quarries in the world, many of them in continuous operation since the 1830s. Many famous buildings have been built from local oolitic limestone, including the [[Empire State Building]].<ref>{{cite web | title= A brief history of the Indiana Limestone Industry | url= http://www.architecturalstonesales.com/ViewPage.aspx?PID=6 | access-date= November 17, 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110504170825/http://www.architecturalstonesales.com/ViewPage.aspx?PID=6 | archive-date= May 4, 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref> Visitors can see the "Empire Hole," about half a mile north of Oolitic, where 35,017,500 pounds of limestone block were extracted in 1931 and shipped to Manhattan for the 102-story building.<ref name="Star 1997">Bill Shaw. "Limestone Legacy: Gifted Hoosier learned stone carving from the quarry up." Indianapolis Star. August 21, 1997.</ref> The Empire Hole was also the source of the stone used in the Empire State Building’s 2001 renovations.<ref name="TPCards">{{cite web | date= June 11, 2008| title= Indiana Limestone (1) | url=http://brisray.com/th/tpcards35.htm | access-date= November 20, 2010}}</ref>