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3220591 
Journal Article 
INFLUENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE PATINA OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY 
Livingston, RA 
1991 
1 
Environmental Science & Technology
ISSN: 0013-936X
EISSN: 1520-5851 
25 
8 
1400-1408 
WOS:A1991FY99800012 
The copper corrosion layer, or patina, of the Statue of
Liberty now shows a variation in color from one point to another that is associated with local
variations in the mineralogy of the patina. It has been proposed that the color patterns are the
result of attack by acid rain. To investigate this problem, a set of copper mineral phase
diagrams has been prepared, which display the stability domains and solubilities as a function of
the major anions (SO4(2-), Cl-, H+, and HCO3-) found in rainwater. These diagrams provide the
basis for a geochemical model of the patina's mineralogy. The model predicts that acid rain, at
the pH levels observed in rainfall in New York City, cannot affect the mineralogy or solubility
of the patina. The color patterns appear to be related to the direction of the prevailing wind,
which determines where the rainwater contacts the Statue. The rainwater in turn stabilizes the
sulfate copper minerals over the chloride ones. These patterns may be more prominent now than in
the past because of reductions in ambient S02 levels in the intervening years.