calcite

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A photograph of three fragments of calcite made up of one gray cube and two smaller transparent fragments.

calcite crystal structure

Diagram showing several shapes of natural calcite crystals. The top section illustrates four untwinned crystal habits, each with different geometric forms. The bottom section displays two examples of twinned calcite crystals, highlighting how their structures differ. Red dashed lines and axes indicate symmetry and orientation.

Steep white chalk cliffs rise sharply with sparse trees along the top edge on the eastern coast of Mon island, Denmark.

Zincite in white calcite from Franklin, N.J.

Relations between lamellar twinning and cleavage planes in dolomite and calcite. This difference can be discerned best when thin sections of the minerals are viewed under a microscope.

$Diagram of double refraction: an unpolarized light ray enters a transparent calcite crystal and splits into a straight ordinary ray and an upward-bending extraordinary ray.$

At a Glance

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calcite summary

calcite: Media

mineral

Images

A photograph of three fragments of calcite made up of one gray cube and two smaller transparent fragments.

Calcite is the most-abundant carbonate mineral in the world. It is primarily used in construction in cement and concrete.

A large percentage of the calcite, the most abundant of these carbonate minerals,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

calcite crystal structure

calcite crystal structure

Schematic diagram showing both the alternative cell based on the cleavage rhombohedron...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram showing several shapes of natural calcite crystals. The top section illustrates four untwinned crystal habits, each with different geometric forms. The bottom section displays two examples of twinned calcite crystals, highlighting how their structures differ. Red dashed lines and axes indicate symmetry and orientation.

Calcite crystals occur most commonly in cavities in rocks, in vesicles in igneous rocks, and lining partially filled fissures.

Figure 2: Calcite crystals. Some of the many fairly common crystal habits...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Steep white chalk cliffs rise sharply with sparse trees along the top edge on the eastern coast of Mon island, Denmark.

Møn: chalk cliffs

Chalk cliffs on the eastern coast of Møn island, Denmark.

© Martin D. Vonka/Shutterstock.com

calcite

calcite

Calcite, the most common form of natural calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). It...

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Zincite in white calcite from Franklin, N.J.

Zincite in white calcite from Franklin, N.J.

B.M. Shaub

Relations between lamellar twinning and cleavage planes in dolomite and calcite. This difference can be discerned best when thin sections of the minerals are viewed under a microscope.

Relations between lamellar twinning and cleavage planes in dolomite and calcite....

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

$Diagram of double refraction: an unpolarized light ray enters a transparent calcite crystal and splits into a straight ordinary ray and an upward-bending extraordinary ray.$

Figure 19: Double refraction showing two rays emerging when a single light ray strikes...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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