The actual word for "marble" comes from the Greek word “marmaro” which stands for shiny stones and crystallized rocks. In English, marmoreal is a phrase used to describe something marble-like.
Marble is created when sedimentary rocks such as limestone are “metamorphed” by contact with the surrounding soil. During the metamorphic process the original rock is crystallized into a mosaic of various crystals. Due to the extreme temperatures necessary to form marble, all fossils are destroyed. Rarely, in some more expensive marbles we find fossils that indicate life existent at the time.
When very pure limestone is formed the result is remarkable pure white marble. Clay, silt, sand and other minerals are the cause of colored marble. Green marble is the result of high magnesium concentration within limestone.