dolomite
Quick Summary
Dolomite is a type of limestone where the mineral dolomite, a calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2), is the primary component. It is formed through a process called dolomitization, where magnesium-rich water alters existing limestone (calcite, CaCO3) into dolomite. This process can obscure or obliterate the original textures and fossils of the limestone.123
Dolomite is a significant carbonate rock, often found in thick marine sequences. While the exact mechanisms of dolomitization are still debated, it's understood that it involves recrystallization and can occur through various processes, including the interaction of magnesium-rich brines with carbonate sediments. Dolomite is distinct from calcite in its reaction to acid; it fizzes more slowly. It is used as a source of magnesium and magnesia, and dolostone (the rock form of dolomite) is used as aggregate in construction and as a flux in blast furnaces.132
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geologySedimentary petrologydolomites, composed principally of calcium carbonate (calcite) and calcium magnesium carbonate (dolomite). Much of the complexity in classifying carbonate rocks stems partly from the fact that many limestones and dolomites have been formed, directly or indirectly, through the influence of organisms, including bacteria, lime-secreting algae,…
Read Moredolomites, composed principally of calcium carbonate (calcite) and calcium magnesium carbonate (dolomite). Much of the complexity in classifying carbonate rocks stems partly from the fact that many limestones and dolomites have been formed, directly or indirectly, through the influence of organisms, including bacteria, lime-secreting algae,…
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sedimentary rockMineralogyThough ancient limestones and dolomites are composed of calcite and dolomite, respectively, other calcite group minerals such as magnesite (MgCO3), rhodochrosite (MnCO3), and siderite (FeCO3) occur in limited amounts in restricted environments. Modern carbonate sediments are composed almost entirely of metastable aragonite (CaCO3) and magnesium-rich calcite, both of which…
Read MoreThough ancient limestones and dolomites are composed of calcite and dolomite, respectively, other calcite group minerals such as magnesite (MgCO3), rhodochrosite (MnCO3), and siderite (FeCO3) occur in limited amounts in restricted environments. Modern carbonate sediments are composed almost entirely of metastable aragonite (CaCO3) and magnesium-rich calcite, both of which…
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Niagara FallsAn upper layer of hard dolomite is underlain by softer layers of shale. Water exerts hydrostatic pressure and only slowly dissolves the dolomite after infiltrating its joints. Dolomite blocks fall away as water from above infiltrates and rapidly erodes the shale at the falls itself. The disposition of the rock…
Read MoreAn upper layer of hard dolomite is underlain by softer layers of shale. Water exerts hydrostatic pressure and only slowly dissolves the dolomite after infiltrating its joints. Dolomite blocks fall away as water from above infiltrates and rapidly erodes the shale at the falls itself. The disposition of the rock…
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olivineMetamorphic rocks…igneous intrusions make contact with dolomites. Forsterite tends to develop at lower temperatures than monticellite as the process of decarbonation in the contact zone progresses. Fayalitic olivines develop within metamorphosed iron-rich sediments. In the quaternary (i.e., four-component) system Fe2O3-FeO-SiO2-H2O, fayalite is associated with the minerals greenalite (iron-serpentine),
Read More…igneous intrusions make contact with dolomites. Forsterite tends to develop at lower temperatures than monticellite as the process of decarbonation in the contact zone progresses. Fayalitic olivines develop within metamorphosed iron-rich sediments. In the quaternary (i.e., four-component) system Fe2O3-FeO-SiO2-H2O, fayalite is associated with the minerals greenalite (iron-serpentine),
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PrecambrianShelf-type sediments…of tidal action, and the dolomites often contain stromatolites similar to those that grow today in intertidal waters. Also present in the dolomites are phosphorites that are similar to those deposited on shallow continental margins against areas of oceanic upwelling during the Phanerozoic. Several early-middle Proterozoic examples of such dolomites…
Read More…of tidal action, and the dolomites often contain stromatolites similar to those that grow today in intertidal waters. Also present in the dolomites are phosphorites that are similar to those deposited on shallow continental margins against areas of oceanic upwelling during the Phanerozoic. Several early-middle Proterozoic examples of such dolomites…
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caveSolution caves…by dissolution of limestone or dolomite. Limestone is composed mostly of calcium carbonate in the form of the mineral calcite. Dolomite rock consists of calcium magnesium carbonate, the mineral dolomite. Both these carbonate minerals are somewhat soluble in the weak acids formed by carbon dioxide dissolving in groundwater. Water seeping…
Read More…by dissolution of limestone or dolomite. Limestone is composed mostly of calcium carbonate in the form of the mineral calcite. Dolomite rock consists of calcium magnesium carbonate, the mineral dolomite. Both these carbonate minerals are somewhat soluble in the weak acids formed by carbon dioxide dissolving in groundwater. Water seeping…
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