A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
The carbonate minerals all contain one or more carbonate (CO3-2) anions.
Calcite is a common mineral. It is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It has a nonmetallic luster, commonly clearish to whitish to yellowish to grayish in color, is moderately soft (H≡3), moderately light-weight, has six-sided crystals (calcite is actually in the trigonal crystal system - crystals of calcite are often scalenohedrons), and rhombohedral cleavage (three cleavage planes at 75º & 105º angles - cleavage pieces look like lopsided boxes). The easiest way to identify calcite is to drop acid on it - it easily bubbles (effervesces) in acid. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas. If the acid is dilute hydrochloric acid, the chemical reaction is:
2HCl(aq) + CaCO3(s) -->> CO2(g)↑ + H2O(l) + CaCl2(aq)
The most important and voluminous calcitic rocks in the world are limestone (sedimentary), marble (metamorphic), carbonatite (igneous), and travertine (speleothem, or "cave formations", and many hotspring deposits). Many hydrothermal veins in the world are calcitic or have calcite as a principal component.
Locality: Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry, town of Maumee, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio, USA
---------------------
Photo gallery of calcite:
www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=859
Tags: calcite calcium carbonate carbonates mineral minerals Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry quarries Lucas County Ohio
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
The carbonate minerals all contain one or more carbonate (CO3-2) anions.
Calcite is a common mineral. It is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It has a nonmetallic luster, commonly clearish to whitish to yellowish to grayish in color, is moderately soft (H≡3), moderately light-weight, has six-sided crystals (calcite is actually in the trigonal crystal system - crystals of calcite are often scalenohedrons), and rhombohedral cleavage (three cleavage planes at 75º & 105º angles - cleavage pieces look like lopsided boxes). The easiest way to identify calcite is to drop acid on it - it easily bubbles (effervesces) in acid. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas. If the acid is dilute hydrochloric acid, the chemical reaction is:
2HCl(aq) + CaCO3(s) -->> CO2(g)↑ + H2O(l) + CaCl2(aq)
The most important and voluminous calcitic rocks in the world are limestone (sedimentary), marble (metamorphic), carbonatite (igneous), and travertine (speleothem, or "cave formations", and many hotspring deposits). Many hydrothermal veins in the world are calcitic or have calcite as a principal component.
Locality: Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry, town of Maumee, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio, USA
---------------------
Photo gallery of calcite:
www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=859
Tags: calcite calcium carbonate carbonates mineral minerals Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry quarries Lucas County Ohio
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
The carbonate minerals all contain one or more carbonate (CO3-2) anions.
Calcite is a common mineral. It is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It has a nonmetallic luster, commonly clearish to whitish to yellowish to grayish in color, is moderately soft (H≡3), moderately light-weight, has six-sided crystals (calcite is actually in the trigonal crystal system - crystals of calcite are often scalenohedrons), and rhombohedral cleavage (three cleavage planes at 75º & 105º angles - cleavage pieces look like lopsided boxes). The easiest way to identify calcite is to drop acid on it - it easily bubbles (effervesces) in acid. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas. If the acid is dilute hydrochloric acid, the chemical reaction is:
2HCl(aq) + CaCO3(s) -->> CO2(g)↑ + H2O(l) + CaCl2(aq)
The most important and voluminous calcitic rocks in the world are limestone (sedimentary), marble (metamorphic), carbonatite (igneous), and travertine (speleothem, or "cave formations", and many hotspring deposits). Many hydrothermal veins in the world are calcitic or have calcite as a principal component.
Locality: Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry, town of Maumee, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio, USA
---------------------
Photo gallery of calcite:
www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=859
Tags: calcite calcium carbonate carbonates mineral minerals Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry quarries Lucas County Ohio
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).
Celestite (also known as "celestine") is a strontium sulfate mineral, SrSO4. Its name has the same etymology as "celestial", meaning "sky", in reference its bluish to pale bluish crystals. This mineral has a nonmetallic luster, a clearish to whitish to pale blue to bluish-gray color, a white streak, a hardness of 3 to 3.5, two cleavages, and is noticeably heavy for its size. It forms diagenetically and also occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal vein systems.
The celestite seen here formed in Silurian dolostones in northwestern Ohio, which is on the southeastern flanks of the Michigan Basin. The strontium-rich fluids from which the celestite crystallized apparently traveled updip from the Michigan Basin. For more info. on Ohio celestite, see Carlson (1991, Minerals of Ohio, Ohio Geological Survey Bulletin 69, 155 pp.) and Carlson (2015 - Minerals of Ohio, Second Edition, Ohio Geological Survey Bulletin 69 (Second Edition), 290 pp.).
Locality: Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry, town of Maumee, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio, USA
Tags: celestite strontium sulfate sulfates mineral minerals celestine Stoneco Inc. Incorporated Maumee Quarry quarries Lucas County Ohio Michigan Basin
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).
Celestite (also known as "celestine") is a strontium sulfate mineral, SrSO4. Its name has the same etymology as "celestial", meaning "sky", in reference its bluish to pale bluish crystals. This mineral has a nonmetallic luster, a clearish to whitish to pale blue to bluish-gray color, a white streak, a hardness of 3 to 3.5, two cleavages, and is noticeably heavy for its size. It forms diagenetically and also occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal vein systems.
The host rocks for the celestite seen here are Silurian dolostones of northwestern Ohio, which is on the southeastern flanks of the Michigan Basin. The strontium-rich fluids from which the celestite crystallized apparently traveled updip from the Michigan Basin. For more info. on Ohio celestite, see Carlson (1991, Minerals of Ohio, Ohio Geological Survey Bulletin 69, 155 pp.) and Carlson (2015 - Minerals of Ohio, Second Edition, Ohio Geological Survey Bulletin 69 (Second Edition), 290 pp.).
Locality: Stoneco Incorporated Maumee Quarry, town of Maumee, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio, USA
Tags: celestite strontium sulfate sulfates mineral minerals celestine Stoneco Inc. Incorporated Maumee Quarry quarries Lucas County Ohio Michigan Basin