Few landmarks are as iconically American as the Statue of Liberty in New York City, but have you ever wondered what gives the imposing figure its distinctive green colour?
While it is due in part to the statue’s 27 tonnes of copper oxidising in the air, the chemical reactions that underpin this specific bluish-green encrustation, or verdigris, are a little more complex.
The video above examines the processes behind the Statue of Liberty’s colour and its change over time as well as explaining why this could happen only in New York.
Originally published by Cosmos as Science of the Statue of Liberty’s green sheen
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