Calcite and polarizing filter.gif

Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scratch hardness comparison. Large calcite crystals are used in optical equipment, and limestone composed mostly of calcite has numerous uses.

Other polymorphs of calcium carbonate are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite over timescales of days or less at temperatures exceeding 300 °C, and vaterite is even less stable.

Etymology

Calcite is derived from the German ''Calcit'', a term from the 19th century that came from the Latin word for lime, ''calx'' (genitive calcis) with the suffix "-ite" used to name minerals. It is thus etymologically related to chalk.

When applied by archaeologists and stone trade professionals, the term alabaster is used not just as in geology and mineralogy, where it is reserved for a variety of gypsum; but also for a similar-looking, translucent variety of fine-grained banded deposit of calcite.

Unit cell and Miller indices

In publications, two different sets of Miller indices are used to describe directions in hexagonal and rhombohedral crystals, including calcite crystals: three Miller indices in the $a_1, a_2, c$ directions, or four Bravais-Miller indices in the $a_1,a_2,a_3,c$ directions, where $i$ is redundant but useful in visualizing permutation symmetries.

To add to the complications, there are also two definitions of unit cell for calcite. One, an older "morphological" unit cell, was inferred by measuring angles between faces of crystals, typically with a goniometer, and looking for the smallest numbers that fit. Later, a "structural" unit cell was determined using X-ray crystallography. The morphological unit cell is rhombohedral, having approximate dimensions and , while the structural unit cell is hexagonal (i.e. a rhombic prism), having approximate dimensions and . For the same orientation, must be multiplied by 4 to convert from morphological to structural units. As an example, calcite cleavage is given as "perfect on " in morphological coordinates and "perfect on " in structural units. In $\$ indices, these are and , respectively. Twinning, cleavage and crystal forms are often given in morphological units.

Properties

The diagnostic properties of calcite include a defining Mohs hardness of 3, a specific gravity of 2.71 and, in crystalline varieties, a vitreous luster. Color is white or none, though shades of gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, or even black can occur when the mineral is charged with impurities.

Crystal habits

Calcite has numerous habits, representing combinations of over 1000 crystallographic forms. Most common are scalenohedra, with faces in the hexagonal directions (morphological unit cell) or directions (structural unit cell); and rhombohedral, with faces in the or directions (the most common cleavage plane). Habits include acute to obtuse rhombohedra, tabular habits, prisms, or various scalenohedra. Calcite exhibits several twinning types adding to the variety of observed habits. It may occur as fibrous, granular, lamellar, or compact. A fibrous, efflorescent habit is known as ''lublinite''. Cleavage is usually in three directions parallel to the rhombohedron form. Its fracture is conchoidal, but difficult to obtain.

Scalenohedral faces are chiral and come in pairs with mirror-image symmetry; their growth can be influenced by interaction with chiral biomolecules such as L- and D- amino acids. Rhombohedral faces are not chiral.

Optical

Calcite is transparent to opaque and may occasionally show phosphorescence or fluorescence. A transparent variety called " Iceland spar" is used for optical purposes. Acute scalenohedral crystals are sometimes referred to as "dogtooth spar" while the rhombohedral form is sometimes referred to as "nailhead spar". The rhombohedral form may also have been the " sunstone" whose use by Viking navigators is mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas.

Single calcite crystals display an optical property called birefringence (double refraction). This strong birefringence causes objects viewed through a clear piece of calcite to appear doubled. The birefringent effect (using calcite) was first described by the Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin in 1669. At a wavelength of about 590 nm, calcite has ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of 1.658 and 1.486, respectively. Between 190 and 1700 nm, the ordinary refractive index varies roughly between 1.9 and 1.5, while the extraordinary refractive index varies between 1.6 and 1.4.

Chemical

Calcite, like most carbonates, will dissolve in acids via the reaction

::

The carbon dioxide released by this reaction produces a characteristic effervescence when dilute hydrochloric acid is dropped on a calcite sample.

Ambient carbon dioxide, due to its acidity, has a slight solubilizing effect on calcite. The overall reaction is

::

If the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide drops, the reaction reverses to precipitate calcite. As a result, calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by groundwater, depending on such factors as the water temperature, pH, and dissolved ion concentrations. When conditions are right for precipitation, calcite forms mineral coatings that cement rock grains together and can fill fractures. When conditions are right for dissolution, the removal of calcite can dramatically increase the porosity and permeability of the rock, and if it continues for a long period of time, may result in the formation of caves. Continued dissolution of calcium carbonate-rich formations can lead to the expansion and eventual collapse of cave systems, resulting in various forms of karst topography.

Calcite exhibits an unusual characteristic called retrograde solubility in which it becomes less soluble in water as the temperature increases. Calcite is also more soluble at higher pressures.

Pure calcite has the composition . However, the calcite in limestone often contains a few percent of magnesium. Calcite in limestone is divided into low-magnesium and high-magnesium calcite, with the dividing line placed at a composition of 4% magnesium. High-magnesium calcite retains the calcite mineral structure, which is distinct from that of dolomite, . Calcite can also contain small quantities of iron and manganese. Manganese may be responsible for the fluorescence of impure calcite, as may traces of organic compounds.

Use and applications

Ancient Egyptians carved many items out of calcite, relating it to their goddess Bast, whose name contributed to the term alabaster because of the close association. Many other cultures have used the material for similar carved objects and applications.

A transparent variety of calcite known as Iceland spar may have been used by Vikings for navigating on cloudy days.

High-grade optical calcite was used in World War II for gun sights, specifically in bomb sights and anti-aircraft weaponry. It was used as a polarizer (in Nicol prisms) prior to the invention of Polaroid plates and still finds use in optical instruments. Also, experiments have been conducted to use calcite for a cloak of invisibility.

Microbiologically induced calcite precipitation, Microbiologically precipitated calcite has a wide range of applications, such as soil remediation, soil stabilization and concrete repair.

Calcite, obtained from an 80 kg sample of Carrara marble, is used as the IAEA-603 isotopic standard in mass spectrometry for the calibration of δ18O, δ¹⁸O and δ13C, δ¹³C.

Natural occurrence

Calcite is a common constituent of sedimentary rocks, limestone in particular, much of which is formed from the shells of dead marine organisms. Approximately 10% of sedimentary rock is limestone. It is the primary mineral in Metamorphic rock, metamorphic marble. It also occurs in deposits from hot springs as a Vein (geology), vein mineral; in caverns as stalactites and stalactite, stalagmites; and in volcanic rock, volcanic or mantle (geology), mantle-derived rocks such as carbonatites, kimberlites, or rarely in peridotites.

Calcite is often the primary constituent of the shells of Marine biology, marine organisms, such as plankton (such as coccoliths and planktic foraminifera), the hard parts of red algae, some sea sponge, sponges, brachiopods, echinoderms, some Serpulidae, serpulids, most bryozoa, and parts of the shells of some Bivalvia, bivalves (such as oysters and rudists). Calcite is found in spectacular form in the Snowy River Cave of New Mexico as mentioned above, where microorganisms are credited with natural formations. Trilobites, which became Permian–Triassic extinction event, extinct a quarter billion years ago, had unique compound eyes that used clear calcite crystals to form the lenses. It also forms a substantial part of birds' eggshells, and the δ13C, δC of the diet is reflected in the δC of the calcite of the shell.

The largest documented single crystal of calcite originated from Iceland, measured and and weighed about 250 tons. Classic samples have been produced at Madawaska Mine, near Bancroft, Ontario.

Bed (geology), Bedding parallel veins of fibrous calcite, often referred to in quarrying parlance as ''beef'', occur in dark organic rich mudstones and shales, these veins are formed by increasing fluid pressure during diagenesis.

Formation processes

Calcite formation can proceed by several pathways, from the classical terrace ledge kink model to the crystallization of poorly ordered precursor phases like amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) via an Ostwald ripening process, or via the agglomeration of nanocrystals.

The crystallization of ACC can occur in two stages. First, the ACC nanoparticles rapidly dehydrate and crystallize to form individual particles of vaterite. Second, the vaterite transforms to calcite via a Solvation, dissolution and Precipitation (chemistry), reprecipitation mechanism, with the reaction rate controlled by the surface area of a calcite crystal. The second stage of the reaction is approximately 10 times slower.

However, crystallization of calcite has been observed to be dependent on the starting pH and concentration of magnesium in solution. A neutral starting pH during mixing promotes the direct transformation of ACC into calcite without a vaterite intermediate. But when ACC forms in a solution with a Base (chemistry), basic initial pH, the transformation to calcite occurs via Metastability, metastable vaterite, following the pathway outlined above. Magnesium has a noteworthy effect on both the stability of ACC and its transformation to crystalline CaCO₃, resulting in the formation of calcite directly from ACC, as this ion destabilizes the structure of vaterite.

Calcite may form in the subsurface in response to microorganism activity, such as sulfate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane, where methane is Redox, oxidized and sulfate is Redox, reduced, leading to precipitation of calcite and pyrite from the produced bicarbonate and sulfide. These processes can be traced by the specific carbon isotope composition of the calcites, which are extremely depleted in the Carbon-13, ¹³C isotope, by as much as −125 per mil Δ13C#Reference standard, PDB (δ¹³C).

In Earth history

Calcite seas existed in Earth's history when the primary inorganic Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate of calcium carbonate in marine waters was low-magnesium calcite (lmc), as opposed to the aragonite and high-magnesium calcite (hmc) precipitated today. Calcite seas alternated with aragonite seas over the Phanerozoic, being most prominent in the Ordovician and Jurassic periods. Lineages evolved to use whichever Polymorphism (materials science), morph of calcium carbonate was favourable in the ocean at the time they became mineralised, and retained this mineralogy for the remainder of their evolutionary history. Petrography, Petrographic evidence for these calcite sea conditions consists of calcitic ooids, lmc cements, hardgrounds, and rapid early seafloor aragonite dissolution. The evolution of marine organisms with calcium carbonate shells may have been affected by the calcite and aragonite sea cycle.

Calcite is one of the minerals that has been shown to catalysis, catalyze an important biological reaction, the formose reaction, and may have had a role in the origin of life. Interaction of its Chirality, chiral surfaces (see #Form, Form) with aspartic acid molecules results in a slight bias in chirality; this is one possible mechanism for the origin of homochirality in living cells.

Gallery

File:Calcite-Mottramite-cktsu-45b.jpg, Calcite with mottramite
File:Erbenochile eye.JPG, Trilobite eyes employed calcite
File:CalciteEchinosphaerites.jpg, Calcite crystals inside a Test (biology), test of the Cystoidea, cystoid ''Echinosphaerites, Echinosphaerites aurantium'' (Middle Ordovician, northeastern Estonia)
File:Calcite-Dolomite-Gypsum-159389.jpg, Rhombohedrons of calcite that appear almost as books of petals, piled up 3-dimensionally on the Matrix (geology), matrix
File:Calcite-Hematite-Chalcopyrite-176263.jpg, Calcite crystal canted at an angle, with little balls of hematite and crystals of chalcopyrite both on its surface and included just inside the surface of the crystal
File:GeopetalCarboniferousNV.jpg, Thin section of calcite crystals inside a recrystallized bivalve shell in a Folk classification#Folk's carbonate classification, biopelsparite
File:OoidSurface01.jpg, Grainstone with calcite ooids and Spar (mineralogy), sparry calcite cement; Carmel Formation, Middle Jurassic, of southern Utah, USA.
File:Calcite-Aragonite-Sulphur-69380.jpg, Several well formed milky white casts, made up of many small sharp calcite crystals, from the sulfur mines at Agrigento, Sicily
File:Calcite-tch21c.jpg, Reddish rhombohedral calcite crystals from China. Its red color is due to the presence of iron
File:Calcite-75480.jpg, Cobaltoan, the cobalt-rich variety of calcite
File:Calcite-114508.jpg, Sand calcites (calcites heavily included with desert sand) in South Dakota, USA
File:RM463c-calcite-butterfly-twin.jpg, Calcite, butterfly twin, . José María Patoni, San Juan del Río, Durango (Mexico)

See also

*Ikaite, CaCO₃·6H₂O
*List of minerals
*Lysocline
*Manganoan calcite, (Ca,Mn)CO₃
*Monohydrocalcite, CaCO₃·H₂O
*Ocean acidification
*Ulexite

References

Further reading

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Calcium minerals
Carbonate minerals
Limestone
Optical materials
Transparent materials
Calcite group
Cave minerals
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 167
Evaporite
Luminescent minerals
Polymorphism (materials science)