Understanding the Many Forms of Carbonate Minerals
Carbonate minerals are salts or esters of carbonic acid that contain the ion, CO32-. They make up over 15% of all sedimentary rocks on Earth and are vital compounds found throughout the geological and biological realms. Its rocks like limestone, dolostone, and marble are formed from the accumulation and compaction of shallow marine organisms, coral, algae, and plant fragments that have in their shells or skeletal structure.
Formation of Minerals:
Carbonate minerals form through various geological and biological processes. Many are the results of marine organisms that rely on calcium to build their hard body parts. For example, coral reefs are built from the calcium exoskeletons of billions of tiny coral polyps. When coral polyps and other marine life die, their remains settle on the ocean floor and over immense time periods compact into limestone and dolostone under heat and pressure within the Earth. Carbon dioxide and calcium-rich groundwater can also naturally combine abiotically to precipitate out rocks via chemical and hydrothermal reactions within the crust over millions of years.
Carbonate minerals are salts or esters of carbonic acid that contain the ion, CO32-. They make up over 15% of all sedimentary rocks on Earth and are vital compounds found throughout the geological and biological realms. Its rocks like limestone, dolostone, and marble are formed from the accumulation and compaction of shallow marine organisms, coral, algae, and plant fragments that have in their shells or skeletal structure.
Formation of Minerals:
Carbonate minerals form through various geological and biological processes. Many are the results of marine organisms that rely on calcium to build their hard body parts. For example, coral reefs are built from the calcium exoskeletons of billions of tiny coral polyps. When coral polyps and other marine life die, their remains settle on the ocean floor and over immense time periods compact into limestone and dolostone under heat and pressure within the Earth. Carbon dioxide and calcium-rich groundwater can also naturally combine abiotically to precipitate out rocks via chemical and hydrothermal reactions within the crust over millions of years.
07:38 AM - Dec 12, 2024 (UTC)
