Mineralogy Database

Calcite Mineral Data

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General Calcite Information

Help on Chemical Formula: Chemical Formula: CaCO3
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 100.09 gm
   Calcium  40.04 %  Ca   56.03 % CaO
   Carbon   12.00 %  C    43.97 % CO2
   Oxygen   47.96 %  O
           ______        ______ 
           100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: (CO3)
Help on Environment: Environment: Found in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1845
Help on Locality: Locality: Common world wide. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: From the Latin, calx, meaning lime.
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Calcite Say CALCITE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: Glendonite - pseudomorph
  ICSD 73446
  Manganocalcite - variety
  Nicols
  PDF 5-586
  Parakutnohorite - intermediate composition between calcite and rhodochrosite
  Travertine
 

Calcite Image

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  Quartz   Calcite

Comments: Purple-colored druse of amethystine quartz and white calcite.
Location: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Scale: Sample size 20 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy
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  Beryl   Calcite

Comments: Transparent emerald, the green variety of beryl on calcite (marble) matrix.
Location: Coscuez, Boyacá, Colombia. Scale: 2.5 x 2.5 cm.
© Fabre Minerals
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  Calcite

Comments: White, divergent calcite scalenohedral crystals.
Location: Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, S.A., Mexico. Scale: 8 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy
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  Calcite

Comments: Cream-colored crystalline aggregate of calcite crystals.
Location: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Scale: 20 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy

Calcite Crystallography
Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:3.41992
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 4.989, c = 17.062, Z = 6; V = 367.78 Den(Calc)= 2.71
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral H-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3c
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 3.035(1), 2.095(0.18), 2.285(0.18),
Help on Forms: Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
Keyboard
S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
Help on Above

Forms: ( 2 1 1) ( 0 1 1)

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Physical Properties of Calcite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {1011} Perfect, {1011} Perfect, {1011} Perfect
Help on Color: Color: Colorless, White, Pink, Yellow, Brown.
Help on Density: Density: 2.71
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Transparent to translucent to opaque
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Help on Habit: Habit: Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals.
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.
Help on Habit: Habit: Stalactitic - Shaped like pendant columns as stalactites or stalagmites (e.g. calcite).
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 3 - Calcite
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Fluorescent and phosphorescent, Short UV=yellow, blue, red green, Long UV=yellow, blue, red green.
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Calcite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2096,KPDmeas= 0.2096,KC= 0.2104
Ncalc = 1.57
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Uniaxial (-), e=1.486, w=1.64-1.66, bire=0.1540-0.1740.
 

Calculated Properties of Calcite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.71 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Calcite =2.71 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.0020908312
Boson Index = 0.9979091688
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PECalcite = 5.06 barns/electron
U=PECalcite x rElectron Density= 13.70 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity: GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Calcite is Not Radioactive
 

Calcite Classification
Help on Dana Class: Dana Class: 14.01.01.01 (14)Anhydrous Carbonates
  (14.01)with Simple Formula A+ CO3
  (14.01.01)Calcite Group (Trigonal: R-3c)
 
14.01.01.01 Calcite CaCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.02 Magnesite MgCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.03 Siderite FeCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.04 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.05 Sphaerocobaltite CoCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.06 Smithsonite ZnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.07 Otavite CdCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.08 Gaspeite (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO3 R 3c 3 2/m
Help on Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 05.AB.05 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)
  05.A - Carbonates without additional anions, without H2O
  05.AB -Alkali-earth (and other M2+) carbonates
 
05.AB.05 Calcite CaCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Gaspeite (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Magnesite MgCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Otavite CdCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Sphaerocobaltite CoCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Siderite FeCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Smithsonite ZnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 

Other Calcite Information
Help on References: References: NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Calcite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - CalTech Mineral Spectroscopy
7 - EUROmin Project
8 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
9 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
10 - Franklin Minerals(Palache)
11 - GeoScienceWorld
12 - Glendale Community College
13 - Google Images
14 - Google Scholar
15 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
16 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
17 - HyperPhysics
18 - MinDAT
19 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
20 - Mineral of the Month
21 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
22 - Minerals in Thin Section-University of North Carolina
23 - Minerals in Thin Sections-Humboldt State
24 - NSDL Reciprocal Net (JAVA)
25 - Online Mineral Museum
26 - Philatelic Mineralogy
27 - QUT Mineral Atlas
28 - Ruff.Info
29 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
30 - Tradeshop.com - The Rainbow of Gems
31 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
32 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
33 - WWW-MINCRYST
34 - YupRocks

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Calcite Specimen Label here :

Calcite

CaCO3
Dana No: 14.01.01.01 Strunz No: 05.AB.05
Locality:

 

Notes:

 
 
   
 

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