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minerals/dolomite.shtml
Dolomite
Carbonate Minerals

Chemical
Composition

CaMg(CO3)2 - Calcium Magnesium Carbonate. Iron may substitute for some of

the magnesium.

Color

Transparent to translucent crystals are typically colorless, white, gray or pink, but
if iron impurities are present can be red, brown or even black. In massive form,
dolomite is typically buff, gray, or white.

Cleavage

Perfect cleavage in three directions to produce rhombohedra

Hardness

3.5 - 4 (relatively soft)

Specific Gravity

2.85 (feels relatively light) to 3 in iron-rich samples

Luster

Crystals are vitreous (glass-like) to pearly, massive form is dull

Streak

White

Misc.
Properties

Effervesces (bubbles) weakly only with heated dilute acid, or with room
temperature dilute acid if dolomite is first crushed into a fine powder to increase
its surface area.
Often confused with...

Did you kno w...

Dolomite is one of our major sources for the concrete so essential to modern
societys road and building infrastructure. Crystals of dolomite are common in

hydrothermal vein deposits and in sedimentary rocks, where they fill pores in
their host rock. By volume, however, most dolomite occurs in its massive form
as dolostone or mixed dolostone/limestone sedimentary rocks. These dolostone
rocks originally formed as limestone marine deposits on ancient shallow
seafloors that were later altered to dolostone as magnesium-rich waters moved
through them. Dolostones that formed from the alteration of limestone rock can
retain much of the rocks original depositional textures, such as fossils, bedding,
and other sedimentary features, although sometimes all of this original fabric
was lost as the rock recrystallized.

Descri ption and Identifyi ng Characteristics

Most often found as a massive, white to buff or gray, carbonate rock-forming
mineral, dolomite is one of the three most abundant carbonate minerals, calcite
and aragonite being the other two. Dolomite differs from calcite and aragonite in
its crystal structure. In dolomite crystals, layers of carbonate ions alternate with
layers of magnesium and calcium ions, rather than only having layers of calcium
ions alternate with carbonate ions as in calcite and aragonite. Dolomite crystals
usually form transparent to translucent rhombs that are colorless to lightcolored, although crystals may be red to brown if iron impurities are present.
Some dolomite crystals also exhibit crystal faces that form slightly curved
surfaces, rather than flat planes.
Pure samples of dolomite and calcite may have a similar appearance and share
many properties, so the easiest way to distinguish them is by their reaction with
room temperature dilute acid. Calcite (and aragonite) will readily react with acid
to form small bubbles (effervescence). Dolomite will only effervesce if the
mineral is ground up into powder (or if the acid is heated). Unfortunately, natural
massive samples often consist of a mixture of the two minerals, so it is
sometimes difficult to distinguish whether dolomite is present in a mixed
massive sample. Iron may also substitute for some of the magnesium in
dolomite, so dolomite may grade into siderite, an iron carbonate (FeCO3),
although dolomite is far more abundant than siderite.
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In Our Earth: The Geologic Im portance of Dolom ite

Dolomite forms in hydrothermal veins or as a pore-filling mineral in carbonate
rocks, and more rarely as an accessory component in igneous pegmatites or
altered mafic igneous rocks. By far though, most dolomite occurs in altered
sedimentary marine rocks called dolostones or in marbles formed from the
metamorphism of dolostone. Because dolostones are composed primarily of the
mineral dolomite, geologists once used the term dolomite for both the mineral
and the rock. The term is now only used for the mineral, since a dolostone may
include other minerals besides dolomite.
Few dolostones are primary in origin. In other words, they did not originally form
as dolostone, but instead formed from the alteration of limestone rock as
magnesium-rich water moved through the limestone, altering its calcite and
aragonite into dolomite. The main exception to this is primary dolomite that
forms in evaporitic settings as a relatively late product of seawater evaporation.
These primary dolomites are rare though. One of the more unusual primary
occurrences of dolomite (where dolomite is precipitated directly from a fluid,
rather than forming as an alteration of a pre-existing mineral) occurs in the

kidneys of Dalmatian dogs! It appears this geologic peculiarity is unique to

Dalmatians, as other dogs do not precipitate dolomite kidney.
Secondary sedimentary dolomites can be broadly separated into two informal
groups. Many sedimentary dolomites occur from alteration of calcite and
aragonite relatively soon after their own formation, resulting in regionally
extensive masses of bedded dolostone. Other secondary sedimentary dolomites
form from alteration of calcite and aragonite long after these minerals had
originally formed. These latter dolomites tend to form dolostone masses along
fractures and faults that serve as pathways for magnesium-bearing fluids that
altered the calcite and aragonite deposits. The resulting dolostone tends to cut
across the rocks original bedding rather than follow the bedding texture. In both
groups, the alteration of calcite and aragonite to dolomite may be very selective.
Fossils composed of pure calcite may be less likely to be altered and may
remain as calcite fossils in an otherwise dolomite rock. As calcite dissolves more
easily than dolomite, such calcite fossils can later be dissolved to leave fossil
molds in the dolostone rock.
Dolomite crystals also line or fill pores in carbonate limestone and dolostone
rocks or in hydrothermal veins. Other important dolomite occurrences include
marble rocks formed from the alteration of sedimentary dolostone, and dolomite
associated with altered ultramafic igneous rocks like serpentinite.
In sedimentary dolostones, dolomite is most often associated with calcite,
aragonite, gypsum, anhydrite, chert, and halite. Vein deposits of dolomite occur
with quartz and other common vein minerals, such as calcite, magnesite,
fluorite, siderite, and sphalerite, or with metallic ore minerals such as galena,
pyrite and chalcopyrite. Although uncommon, when dolomite occurs in altered
ultramafic igneous rocks, it may be associated with magnesite, serpentine, and
talc.
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In Our Society: The Economic Im portance of Dolomite

Dolomite shares a broadly similar chemistry with other carbonate minerals like
calcite and aragonite, and consequently is used in much the same way. By
volume, the most important uses of dolomite are in the production of concrete
and as aggregate construction material. Significant amounts of dolomite are
also used as dolostone and dolomitic marble building stones and in the
manufacture of glass and ceramic glazes.
In industry, dolomite is an important source for magnesium and calcium metals,
and is used as a flux for metallurgy. A flux is a material that melts easily and can
be used to remove impurities from metal ores or to make the slag produced by
metal ore smelting more fluid so it can be disposed of more easily.
In agriculture, powdered dolomite is also an important component of many
fertilizers and animal feeds. Smaller amounts of dolomite are also used for
human consumption as a mineral supplement and as an antacid, although to a
lesser degree than calcite. Dolomite is even used in facial creams and
toothpaste.
Usually minerals are named after a famous geographic locality where they
occur, but dolomite was named for a French geologist named Deodat de
Dolomieu (1750-1801) who first identified its chemical composition, and whose

scientific career had a rather inauspicious beginning. Deodat de Dolomieus

earlier choice of a military career came to an abrupt end after he was
condemned to death at the age of eighteen for killing a fellow soldier in a duel.
He was pardoned, but decided to spend the remainder of his life pursuing rocks
and minerals rather than military glory. One of the areas where he worked was a
mountain range in northeastern Italy that was later christened the Dolomites
after Deodat de Dolomieu.
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Dolomite in the Upper Mid west:

Dolomite is abundant throughout most of the upper Midwest, being the primary
mineral comprising most of the Paleozoic carbonate units that cover this region.
Thousands of quarries in these rock units provided the bulk of the carbonate
used locally for concrete in building and road construction. One of the more
common, relatively inexpensive building stones used in the region is a porous
dolostone known by the geologically incorrect label of Winona Travertine. A true
travertine is a porous carbonate rock that is precipitated from groundwater at a
spring or in a cave. In contrast, the Winona Travertine is a dolostone that
formed as an alteration of a marine limestone. Its pores are the void spaces left
by the dissolution of calcite fossils and fragments. Trace fossils of burrowing
organisms also extend throughout this dolostone, giving it a decorative pattern
that increases its worth as building stone.
Although dolomite is not as soluble as calcite, the abundance of local dolomite
also contributes to the hard water problems common to Upper Midwest.

DOLOMITE

Chemistry: CaMg(CO3)2, Calcium Magnesium

Carbonate
Class: Carbonates
Group: Dolomite
Uses: in some cements, as a source of magnesium and
as mineral specimens.
Specimens
Dolomite, which is named for the French mineralogist Deodat de
Dolomieu, is a common sedimentary rock-forming mineral that
can be found in massive beds several hundred feet thick. They
are found all over the world and are quite common in
sedimentary rock sequences. These rocks are called appropriately

enough dolomite or dolomitic limestone. Disputes have arisen as

to how these dolomite beds formed and the debate has been
called the "Dolomite Problem". Dolomite at present time, does not
form on the surface of the earth; yet massive layers of dolomite
can be found in ancient rocks. That is quite a problem for
sedimentologists who see sandstones, shales and limestones
formed today almost before their eyes. Why no dolomite? Well
there are no good simple answers, but it appears that dolomite
rock is one of the few sedimentary rocks that undergoes a
significant mineralogical change after it is deposited. They are
originally deposited as calcite/aragonite rich limestones, but
during a process call diagenesis the calcite and/or aragonite is
altered to dolomite. The process is not metamorphism, but
something just short of that. Magnesium rich ground waters that
have a significant amount of salinity are probably crucial and
warm, tropical near ocean environments are probably the best
source of dolomite formation.
Dolomite in addition to the sedimentary beds is also found in
metamorphic marbles, hydrothermal veins and replacement
deposits. Except in its pink, curved crystal habit dolomite is hard
to distinguish from its second cousin,calcite. But calcite is far
more common and effervesces easily when acid is applied to it.
But this is not the case with dolomite which only weakly bubbles
with acid and only when the acid is warm or the dolomite is
powdered. Dolomite is also slightly harder, denser and never
forms scalenohedrons (calcite's most typical habit).
Dolomite differs from calcite, CaCO3, in the addition of
magnesium ions to make the formula, CaMg(CO3)2. The
magnesium ions are not the same size as calcium and the two
ions seem incompatible in the same layer. In calcite the structure
is composed of alternating layers of carbonate ions, CO3, and
calcium ions. In dolomite, the magnesiums occupy one layer by
themselves followed by a carbonate layer which is followed by an
exclusively calcite layer and so forth. Why the alternating layers?
It is probably the significant size difference between calcium and

magnesium and it is more stable to group the differing sized ions

into same sized layers. Other carbonate minerals that have this
alternating layered structure belong to the Dolomite Group.
Dolomite is the principle member of theDolomite Group of
minerals which includes ankerite, the only other somewhat
common member.
Dolomite forms rhombohedrons as its typical crystal habit. But for
some reason, possibly twinning, some crystals curve into saddleshaped crystals. These crystals represent a unique crystal habit
that is well known as classical dolomite. Not all crystals of
dolomite are curved and some impressive specimens show well
formed, sharp rhombohedrons. The luster of dolomite is unique
as well and is probably the best illustration of a pearly luster. The
pearl-like effect is best seen on the curved crystals as a sheen of
light can sweep across the curved surface. Dolomite can be
several different colors, but colorless and white are very common.
However it is dolomite's pink color that sets another unique
characteristic for dolomite. Crystals of dolomite are well known
for their typical beautiful pink color, pearly luster and unusual
crystal habit and it is these clusters that make very attractive
specimens.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is often pink or pinkish and can be colorless, white,

yellow, gray or even brown or black when iron is present in
the crystal.
Luster is pearly to vitreous to dull.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3
Crystal Habits include saddle shaped rhombohedral twins
and simple rhombs some with slightly curved faces, also
prismatic, massive, granular and rock forming. Never found
in scalenohedrons.

 Cleavage is perfect in three directions forming

rhombohedrons.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 3.5-4
Specific Gravity is 2.86 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Unlike calcite, effervesces weakly
with warm acid or when first powdered with cold HCl.
Associated Minerals: include calcite, sulfide ore
minerals, fluorite, barite, quartz and occasionally with gold.
Notable Occurrences include many localities throughout
the world, but well known from sites in Midwestern quarries
of the USA; Ontario, Canada; Switzerland; Pamplona, Spain
and in Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are typical pink color, crystal habit,
hardness, slow reaction to acid, density and luster.

Calcite (and Aragonite)

Carbonate Minerals

Chemical
Composition

Calcium Carbonate: Ca(CO3), Mn, Fe, Mg and Sr may partially replace Ca in

some samples.

Color

Transparent to translucent calcite crystals are colorless, white or light-colored;

massive forms of calcite are typically buff, gray, or white.

Cleavage

Calcite has perfect cleavage in three directions to produce rhombohedra.

(Cleavage in aragonite is generally less well developed.)

Hardness

3 (down to 2.5 on some surfaces) easily scratched by a metal nail, but too
hard to be scratched by a fingernail. Aragonite is slightly harder, from 3.5 to 4.

Specific Gravity

2.7 (feels relatively light) (3.0 for aragonite)

Luster

crystals are vitreous (glass-like), massive form is dull

Streak

white

Misc. Properties

At room temperature both minerals will easily react with dilute acid to effervesce
(bubble).
Often confused with...

Did you kno w...

Without calcite and aragonite many of Earths organisms could not exist. These
are the minerals most invertebrate organisms use to construct their shells and
hard parts. So if you have ever admired a colorful seashell, you have already
paid tribute to the range of colors calcite and aragonite come in and indirectly to
the ease with which calcite and aragonite form at the Earths surface.
Aragonite and calcite are polymorphs, minerals that have the same chemical
composition but slightly different crystal structures. Both minerals can occur
together and are so similar to one another that distinguishing between them is
seldom important to anyone but a professional geologist. Calcite is more stable
and common than aragonite under the chemistry of our modern seas, but at
times in the Earths past, aragonite was the more stable and common form. The
two minerals are nearly identical in their physical properties, so through the
remainder of this website they will be treated together under the name calcite.
Calcite forms in a range of settings from hot springs and underground caverns
to growing coral reefs and seashells. This not only reflects calcites abundance,
but also the ease with which it forms, dissolves, and reforms. Calcite is almost
as common in our society as it is in nature, its uses ranging from medicine and
animal feed, to Michelangelos Pieta, and highway overpasses. To a
remarkable degree, human society mimics marine organisms in the sense that
we rely on calcite to construct many of the hard parts of our society, in the form
of marble, plaster, mortar, and cement.

Descri ption and Identifyi ng Characteristics

Calcite occurs in both crystalline and massive forms. Crystals of calcite are
usually transparent to translucent, but can exhibit a wide variety of colors if the
crystal includes minor impurities. Masses of calcite also tend to be light colored,

but as with the transparent crystals, the presence of even minor amounts of
impurities can create a wide range of colors.
Since calcite can have so many appearances, the simplest way to determine
whether a sample contains calcite is to test its reaction to a dilute acid like
household vinegar. Calcite will readily react with acid to effervesce, producing
small bubbles of CO2 similar to those formed when you open a bottle of soda
and pour it into a glass. Soft enough to be easily scratched by a nail, calcite
crystals can also be identified by their rhombic cleavage. Rhombic cleavage
means that calcite crystals break along parallel planes of weakness that meet at
the same angles as a rhombs sides.
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Geologic Setting and Associated Mi nerals

Calcite most commonly occurs in sedimentary settings, particularly in shallow
marine settings as the shells and hard parts of marine organisms. It is also
found in hydrothermal veins and hot spring deposits. In sedimentary
environments, calcite most often occurs as limestone rock or as marble, which
is metamorphosed limestone. In these rocks, calcite is often the only mineral
present, but in some sedimentary environments, calcite may be associated with
dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite, chert, or halite. In hydrothermal veins, quartz and
other common vein minerals such as pyrite, dolomite, fluorite, galena, and
chalcopyrite may occur with calcite.
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In Our Earth: The Geologic Im portance of Calcite

All natural waters contain dissolved calcium and carbon dioxide, and their
concentration is especially high in seawater. Many marine animals including
corals, snails, clams, algae, and microscopic plankton use calcite and aragonite
to form their shells and hard parts. Microorganisms can also indirectly lead to
the precipitation of calcite as they alter the chemistry of the fluids in which they
live. Once formed, calcite is easily dissolved and its component ions released to
precipitate elsewhere.
As a consequence, calcite is not only the main mineral of limestone rocks and
marble (metamorphosed limestone), but also a common accessory component
of sandstone and siltstone rocks. Calcite forms cave decorations, hot
spring travertine, and hydrothermal mineral deposits. Because it is easily
precipitated and dissolved at the Earths surface temperatures and pressures,
calcite is one of the more common fracture-fillingvein minerals found in other
rocks. Calcite even precipitates in soils, particularly those in arid environments
where calcite precipitation can form hard layers called caliche.
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In Our Society: The Economic Im portance of Calcite

The ease with which it dissolves and precipitates is the basis for many of
calcites uses in human society. Calcites name comes from chalix or chalx,
which is the Greek word for lime (calx in Latin). For over 5,000 years, calcite
has been used to manufacture lime (CaO, calcium oxide). Although the
equipment used to do this has changed across the centuries, the basic process

remains the same. Rocks rich in calcium carbonate are heated to high
temperatures so the CaCO3 will burn to form CaO and CO2 gas. The CaO can
then be recombined with water (which always holds some dissolved CO2) to
precipitate CaCO3 as plaster, mortar, and more recently as cement. Early
Roman and Greek frescos attest to the use of lime in art as well.
Although cement production accounts for the bulk of calcite used by our modern
society, large amounts are also used in the manufacture of steel and glass.
Rocks composed primarily of calcite, such as limestone and marble, are also
extensively quarried as decorative building stones and for sculpture.
Because of the ease with which calcite reacts with even weak acids, calcite is
used to balance soil acidity, in water treatment, and as a calcium supplement in
animal feed. Calcite even has medicinal value as both a supplemental source of
calcium and as an antacid. Calcites ready reaction with dilute acids not only
serves to identify its presence in geological samples, but can neutralize excess
stomach acids that cause discomfort!
Even the schoolroom is not devoid of calcite. In geology, chalk is the name
given to a rock that is composed almost entirely of the calcite shells of
microscopic plankton. It is a very soft rock that, when rubbed on a surface,
breaks apart to leave white streaks. Although modern schoolroom chalk is often
a mixture of anhydrite and calcite, the original chalk for chalkboards was
completely composed of the microscopic calcite shells of marine plankton.
One variety of calcite called Iceland Spar is clear and colorless with
remarkably clear optical properties. Iceland spar was particularly important
during World War II because it was used for the sighting equipment of airplane
bombardiers and gunners. Today, Iceland spar calcite is still used in some
optical instruments such as polarizing microscopes.
Onyx is a term used for both a layered variety of quartz, as well as a layered
variety of calcite, so dont be confused by the terms double use. The layered
calcite (often known as Mexican Onyx) can be distinguished because it is softer
and is easily carved into different shapes. From 1200 to 300 B.C., the Olmec
Indians of central Mexico carved figurines from calcite onyx that were widely
traded from Guatemala to Costa Rico, a tradition that has been continued by
other people to the present day.
Aragonite has almost the same uses as calcite, but with one notable addition.
Mollusks are the only family of marine organisms that tend to precipitate shells
almost entirely out of aragonite, rather than calcite or a mixture of calcite and
aragonite. The iridescent inner layer of these shells, often called mother-ofpearl, is quite beautiful and was once widely used for buttons and decorative
jewelry. Natural pearls, which form in mollusks and are widely used in jewelry,
are also composed of aragonite.
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Calcite in the Upper Mid west:

In the Upper Midwest region, calcite and dolomite are the most important
minerals that comprise the carbonate rock layers that cover the regions
southeastern extent. These rocks are quarried for use as building stones and as
gravel for road construction. Marl, a mixture of calcite and clay minerals, forms
beneath many of the states lakes and wetland areas. Vein deposits of calcite

occur in many regional rock units, but are particularly common in the basalts
and gabbros that form the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Calcite and aragonite also form most of the cave decoration found in caverns
present within the carbonate rock units across the southern part of this region.
In Upper Midwest caves, calcite is the primary mineral component of cave
formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, although many of the more
delicate cave features are composed of aragonite.
On a more domestic front, calcite is the mineral that dissolves to form the hard
water (water with high concentrations of dissolved ions) present in many Upper
Midwest communities. In homes without water softeners, calcite can precipitate
from calcium-rich groundwater to plug household plumbing or form a crust
below dripping faucets.
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In Our Future: The Environm ental Im plications of Calcite

Use
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat radiated from the Earth to
warm the Earths surface. Natural emissions of carbon dioxide from volcanoes
and plants warm the Earth so that it is not a frozen planet. However, as human
activities increase the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, we run the risk of
changing the Earths climate by increased greenhouse warming. Although the
burning of fossil fuels is the best-known source of increased atmospheric CO2,
the production of lime and concrete is another important contributor to
greenhouse warming.