Carbonates

Carbonates

  

A member of the aragonite mineral group, this mineral was named after William Withering (1741-1799), an English physician and naturalist, who first described the mineral. It occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal veins.

  

A member of the aragonite mineral group, this mineral was named after its discovery in 1790 in Strontian, Scotland. It is mainly found as a low-temperature mineral in limestone. It is almost always fluorescent.

  

An ore of zinc, this mineral was named after James Smithson (1754-1829), a British chemist and mineralogist and founder of the Smithsonian Institution. It commonly occurs in botryoidal forms and in a variety of colors including yellow, blue, pink, and purple.

  

Siderite is an ore of iron when found in sufficient volume to be economically recoverable. It was named in 1845 from the Greek word meaning “iron,” in allusion to its composition. It is most often found in bedded sedimentary deposits with shales and coal beds and also as bog deposits.

  

Discovered in 1813, this pink mineral occurs in low to moderate temperature hydrothermal veins, metamorphic deposits, carbonates, and sedimentary deposits. Its name comes from the Greek, “rose” and “coloring” referring to its color.

  

Easily identified by its bright green color and its association with azurite, this mineral was named after the Greek mallows, in allusion to the green color of the leaves. It is the most common secondary mineral found in the oxidized zones of copper deposits but is only a minor ore of copper.

  

Discovered in 1808, this mineral was named in allusion to the composition, containing principally Magnesium. It is a member of the calcite mineral group and occurs primarily in igneous and sedimentary rocks.

  

Dolomite was named in 1791 after the French mineralogist and geologist D. de Dolomieu (1750-1801). It is an important sedimentary and metamorphic mineral and is also found as a hydrothermal vein mineral. It is a major source of magnesium, particularly for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications.

  

A member of the aragonite group of minerals, cerussite’s name comes from the Latin ceruss, meaning “white lead.” It is a lead carbonate mineral usually found in the oxidized zone of lead ore deposits. It is a common weathering product of galena and other lead ore minerals. It is an ore of both lead and silver.

  

Calcite is a very common and widespread mineral that comes in a wide variety of forms and colors. It is best recognized by its relatively low hardness (3) and its reaction with weak acids and rhombohedral cleavage. It is fluorescent under UV light. High-grade optical calcite was used in World War II for gun sights.