1 Dolomite by-nc-nd: Il Topone / Emiliano B.

2 by-nc-sa: bingobengo The mineral dolomite is named after the rock in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. The mountains are named after a French geologist named Deodat de Dolomieu (1750-1801). So, say this ten times fast! Dolomieu climbed the dolomite Dolomites before they were dolomite. A dolomite rock statue in the Dolomites. A dolomite rock building in the Dolomites. by: Nigel Wilson

3 Eugene Weber © California Academy of Sciences NOAA/DoC Coral and other organisms use calcite to construct their hard parts. After the creatures die, their hard- part remains may dissolve in the water or they may fall to the ocean bottom where they will form the limestone of the future. Wait: I thought we’re talking about dolomite, not calcite or limestone! Some dolomite rock is altered limestone: as magnesium-rich water moved through the limestone, magnesium ions replaced up to half the calcium ions. Dolomite can also precipitate in saline lakes and in the deep ocean. Jerry Prezioso, NOAA/DoC

4 Dolomite is easily dissolved in water. This dissolution makes water hard and creates caves and sinkholes. by-nd: centinel When magnesium rich saline water evaporates, the dolomite minerals come out of the water to form a solid, like at the Coorong lakes in Australia. by-nc-nd: a06987 Objects made of magnesium, such as fire starters and pencil sharpeners, are made from sea water or brine, not dolomite. GNU USGS

5 Michelangelo's Pieta is made of marble. Marble is a popular sculpture material made of metamorphosed carbonate. Marble exposed to rain can disintegrate, either by the acidic water dissolving the calcite ions, or by physical freeze-thaw weathering. public domain

6 carbonate = generic name for any sedimentary rock that is made of deposited carbonate (CO 3 ) minerals, like limestone or dolostone dolomite = mineral magnesium carbonate chemical formula: CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 dolostone = a carbonate sedimentary rock made of the mineral dolomite marble = any metamorphic rock that is made up of recrystallized minerals of calcite and/or dolomite Wait: Dolomite? Dolostone? Carbonate? Marble? USGS

7 The Washington monument is made of several different types of marble. Marble is carbonate that was subjected to heat or pressure, or metamorphosed, while buried deep in the earth. After blocks are cut out of the rock and into the desired shape, they are shipped from the quarries to the construction site by railroad. Carbonates are very popular building stones. Photo courtesy Grace Muilenburg, KGS

8 Powdered dolomite is used in the manufacture of ceramic glazes by-nc-sa: g.foucault by-nc-nd: danielgreene Also used in the manufacture of glass, and optical glass which is used in microscopes and cameras. by-nc-sa: Rob Ireton by-nc-sa: gonzales2010

9 Carbonates, like calcite, are added to animal feed. by-nc-nd: Maury McCown by-sa: Peter Huys by-sa: redjar by-nc: Jane Cockman

10 Carbonate 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 that makes the slag produced by metal ore smelting more fluid. by-sa: Southern_Comfort by-nc-sa: BBColin

11 Carbonates condition soils for home gardening. by-nc-sa: Sarah Serendipity by: Editor B by-nc-sa: edgeplot by-nc-nd: ~Living the American Dream~

12 by-nc-sa: Tom Magliery Magnesium is an important dietary mineral, but the mineral carbonate forms are not absorbed by the human body. Make sure your dietary supplements are from a food (not a rock) source! by-nc-nd: Keith Davenport by-nc: abbyladybug by-nd: edwaado by-nd: jessicafm

13 by-nc-sa: Lastaii by-nc-sa: Alan Penner Water with dissolved carbonate in it, usually groundwater from carbonate aquifers, is known as hard water. Hard water can be improved by “water softening” treatment. Hard water causes “scaling”. by-nc: Nofolete / Dane Larsen by-nc: Dane Larsen by-nc-sa: spike55151

14 by-nc-sa: ewanr by-sa: Chrischang Carbonate minerals are important to plants. Magnesium, from dolomite, aids in photosynthesis. Powdered fertilizer is spread on farm fields. Carbon dioxide from the air, and not carbonate from rocks, are the main building blocks of plant life. Live plants underwater also need fertilizer.

15 by: Kumon Carbonate is manufactured into a powdered lime, which is combined with water to form plaster, mortar, and cement. Plaster is used on walls and in art Mortar holds bricks together. Cement and rocks make concrete. GNU by: Alan Levine by-nc-nd: Oliver Elser & Andreas Muhs CVC / Architect of the Capitol

16 OSHA Cascades Job Corps Center/USDoL CDC Carbonates are in concrete as the cement and as rocks. In these pictures concrete masons put the smooth finish on a concrete floor. by-sa: Beige Alert

17 Many buildings and sculptures are made of carbonate, both stone and concrete. We use a great deal of calcite and dolomite in building the hard parts of our society. Concrete Carbonate stone by: Jonny2005 by-nc: jabenaki by-nc-sa: nznomad by-nc: Andrea Kirkby

18 by-nc: Adam Henning FHA/US DOT Caltran Think of all the roads you have ever been on: carbonates make them all possible. MN DOT

19 Dolomite by-nc-nd: Il Topone / Emiliano B.

20 media rights Many of the photos in this presentation were obtained through Flickr and Wikipedia.FlickrWikipedia Funded by FIPSE and by the University of Minnesota. Compiled for Dr. Kent Kirkby, Department of Geology and Geophysics, by Kate Rosok, 2007. Each displayed image retains its original media rights. For educational purposes only; not to be used commercially.FIPSEUniversity of MinnesotaDr. Kent Kirkby Department of Geology and Geophysics public domain (none) © Copyright. All rights reserved by-nc-sa by by-nd by-sa by-nc-nd Creative Commons Licenses GNUGNU GNU Free Documentation LicenseGNU Free Documentation License Our notation description