53 - Calcite

Hello friends, 

Welcome to the Mineral Repository at the department of geology, Shivaji science college, Nagpur

My name is calcite. I am amongst the most famous minerals present on earth. I belong to the famous carbonate family and I am the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. I am one of the most common minerals found, particularly as a component of limestone. I have hardness 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, therefore I can be scratched readily by a knife blade or finger nail. My cousin’s dolomite and aragonite and I all together make up approximately 15 % of the Earth’s sediments and sedimentary rocks and about 2 percent of the terrestrial crust. I am mostly colorless or white when pure but I may be of almost any color, owing to the presence of diverse impurities. Depending on the conditions I may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. I am blessed with 3 perfect cleavages. I occur widely in veins of igneous and metamorphic rock. I exhibit numerous habits, representing combinations of over 1000 crystallographic forms. One of my strongest properties is birefringence that is double refraction. This strong double refraction causes objects viewed through a clear piece of calcite to appear doubled. I am mostly found all over the globe I am used as a building material, abrasive, agricultural soil treatment, construction, pharmaceutical and semi-precious gemstones. I am a mineral of stunning diversity and vibrant energy. 

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