12/2/2015

DOLOMITE
HISTORY, PROPERTIES & USES

ABDUL WAHAB KHAN

2ND SEMESTER MSC GEOPHYSICS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENT

PAGE NO

INTRODUCTION

01

ORIGIN & ONOMATOLOGY

02

MINERAL OR A ROCK?

04

OCCURRENCE IN NATURE

05

THE DOLOMITE PROBLEM

07

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

08

USES

09

REFERENCES

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LIST OF FIGURES
FIG.1.

NON-SILLICATE MINERAL CLASSIFICATION

FIG.2.

THE DOLOMITES IN NORTHERN ITALY

FIG.3.

DIEUDONN SYLVAIN GUY TANCRDE DE DOLOMIEU KNOWN AS

DODAT DE DOLOMIEU (1750 - 1801)

FIG.4.

DOLOMITE AS A MINERAL (LEFT) & A ROCK (RIGHT)

FIG.5.

A UNIQUE, ISOLATED DOLOMITE OCCURRENCE IN EUGUI, SPAIN HAS

PROVIDED COLORLESS TRANSPARENT CRYSTALS.

FIG.6.

THE OCCURRENCE OF KOLWEZI, IN THE CONGO (ZAIRE) HAS

PRODUCED SOME FASCINATING, COBALT-RICH SPECIMENS THAT ARE
A BEAUTIFUL HOT PINK COLOR.

FIG.7.

USES OF DOLOMITE

INTRODUCTION
Dolomite
is
an
anhydrous
carbonate
of calcium magnesium carbonate, ideally CaMg (CO3)2.

mineral

composed

FIG.1. NON-SILLICATE MINERALS CLASSIFICATION

ORIGIN & ONOMATOLOGY

The mountains of the Southern Tyrol Alps of the Mediterranean Realm are
acknowledged widely to be the geographical area where dolomite was discovered.
The Italian geologist Giovanni Arduino (1713 to 1795) is credited with the first
documented identification of dolomite as a distinct carbonate mineral in 1779, as
reported in von Morlot (1847); but the name of the mineral, rock and mountains is
unquestionably associated with one individual, the French geologist and
mineralogist Deodat de Dolomieu (1750 to 1801). During field excursions in the
region, Dolomieu recognized the occurrence of an unusual carbonate rock that
resembled limestone but only weakly effervesced with acid (de Dolomieu, 1791;
Zenger et al., 1994). Dolomieu published his observations in the Journal de
Physique and, one year later, in the same journal, Nicolas-The- odore de Saussure
(1767 to 1845) provided a chemical analysis of the rock, which was named
dolomie after his colleague Dolomieu (de Saussure, 1792). Within 10 years of its
discovery, the English version of the name, dolomite, was in use and it had become
a commonly identified rock type.[1]

FIG. 2. THE DOLOMITES IN NORTHERN ITALY

FIG.3. DIEUDONN SYLVAIN GUY TANCRDE DE DOLOMIEU KNOWN AS DODAT DE DOLOMIEU (1750 1801) [1]

Through his friend and mentor, the Duke De La Rochefoucauld, De Dolomieu was
made a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. He spent his
spare time taking scientific excursions throughout Europe collecting mineral
specimens and visiting mining areas. His particular interests included mineralogy,
volcanology, and the origin of mountain ranges. Although De Dolomieu was greatly
interested in volcanoes, he became convinced that water played a major role in
shaping the surface of the Earth through a series of prehistoric, catastrophic events.
De Dolomieu was not an uniformitarian geologist. His contemporary, James
Hutton, did not publish the principle of uniformitarianism until 1795. De Dolomieu
was an observationalist and spent much of his time collecting and categorizing
geological data. Unlike Hutton, no scientific principles or theories are credited to
him, although he left his permanent mark on geology in another way: that is by
discovering the mineral that would be named after him
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DOLOMITE: A MINERAL OR A ROCK?

"Dolomite" is a word that is used by geologists in two different ways:
1) As the name of the mineral dolomite; and,
2) As the name of a rock known as dolomite, dolostone or dolomite rock [2]

The mineral is the pure form, and Dolomite rock is composed mostly of Dolomite
but also with impurities such as Calcite, Quartz, and Feldspar.

FIG.4. DOLOMITE AS A MINERAL (LEFT) & A ROCK (RIGHT)

OCCURRENCE IN NATURE
Dolomite occurs widely as the major constituent of dolostones and dolomite
marbles. The origin of dolomite-rich rocks in marine sequences remains an
unresolved problem of petro genesis.
Dolomite is rarely found in modern sedimentary environments but
dolostones are very common in the rock record. They can be geographically
extensive and hundreds to thousands of feet thick. Most rocks that are rich in
dolomite were originally deposited as calcium carbonate muds that were postdepositionally altered by magnesium-rich pore water to form dolomite.
The dolomite present in dolomite veins has also been ascribed diverse
origins; some appears to have been deposited by percolating connate or meteoric
groundwater, and some seems more likely to have been deposited by
hydrothermal solutions charged with magmatic volatiles
Dolomite accounts for 10% of all sedimentary rocks. [3]
There are many localities that produced fine Dolomite specimens. Most locations
are in regions which contain an abundance of this mineral throughout the region.
The most prominent European occurrence is Eugui, Navarra, Spain, where clear,
transparent crystals, unlike any others were found. Other European localities are
the Traversella, Piedmont, Italy; Binn Tal, Wallis, Switzerland; Styria, Austria; the
Castilla quarry, Setiles, Spain; and Kapnik, Maramures Co., Romania.

Two very important African deposits famous among collectors for the hot-pink
cobalt-rich Dolomite are Kolwezi, Katanga (Shaba), Congo (Zaire), and Bou Azzer,
Morocco. Another African occurrence of note is Tsumeb, Namibia. Other rich
worldwide deposits are the Shangbao mine, Hunan Province, China; Brumado,
Bahia, Brazil; and Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico.

In Canada it has been found in Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec; and in the area of
Ontario, Canada adjacent to Lake Ontario, where this Dolomite body stretches
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across the border to New York State where productive Dolomite occurrences exist
along the Erie Canal and Mohawk River area. The best U.S. occurrences are in the
tri-state mining district of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, especially the localities
of Picher and Joplin, Ottawa Co., Oklahoma, where curved groups of lustrous pink,
peach, and white crystals occurred with Galena, Sphalerite, and Chalcopyrite. Two
other famous Midwest localities are Black Rock, Lawrence Co., Arkansas; and the
Sweetwater Mine, Reynolds Co., Missouri. Dolomite was also found in Pennsylvania
in the Binkley-Ober Quarry, East Petersburg, Lancaster Co.

FIG.5. A UNIQUE, ISOLATED DOLOMITE OCCURRENCE IN EUGUI, SPAIN HAS PROVIDED COLORLESS TRANSPARENT
CRYSTALS.

FIG.6. THE OCCURRENCE OF KOLWEZI, IN THE CONGO (ZAIRE) HAS PRODUCED SOME FASCINATING,
COBALT-RICH SPECIMENS THAT ARE A BEAUTIFUL HOT PINK COLOR.

THE DOLOMITE PROBLEM

The formation of dolomite mineral is still puzzling scientists. [4]
Dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2] is a common carbonate mineral in sedimentary
rocks throughout the geological record, especially in Precambrian carbonate rocks
where it is abundant and often found in association with microbial structures; but
it is rarely found forming in modern carbonate environments. Because of its rare
occurrence in modern sediments, as well as the apparent inability to synthesize it
under low-temperature conditions in the laboratory, the origin of dolomite has
remained a long-standing enigma in sedimentology, often called the Dolomite
Problem. Numerous publications reviewing the Dolomite Problem have appeared
during the past 100 years. [1]
The most accepted solution to the Dolomite Problem is given below:
According to geologists dolomite occurs under the influence of seawater
containing magnesium during the sedimentation (early diagenetic dolomitization)
or much later in the already solidified sediment (late diagenetic dolomitization),
with areas that cut through the existing layers. A direct sedimentation of dolomite
plays no significant role according to the prevailing theory [5]. The Dolomites for
example consisted originally of calcium carbonate, dead coral and shells from the
ocean floor. Only later (late diagenetic) the calcium carbonate in the dolomite has
been converted. This is accompanied by a reduction in volume, and the rock
becomes porous.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Color is often pink or pinkish and can be colorless, white, yellow, gray or even
brown or black when iron is present in the crystal.
Luster is pearly to vitreous to dull.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3
Crystal Habits include saddle shaped rhombohedral twins and simple
rhombs some with slightly curved faces, also prismatic, massive, granular
and rock forming. Never found in scalenohedrons.
Cleavage is perfect in three directions forming rhombohedrons.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Moh Hardness is 3.5-4
Modified Moh Hardness is 21
Specific Gravity is 2.86 (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Unlike calcite, effervesces weakly with warm acid or
when first powdered with cold HCl.
Associated Minerals: include calcite, sulfide ore minerals, fluorite, barite,
quartz and occasionally with gold.
Notable Occurrences include many localities throughout the world, but well
known from sites in Midwestern quarries of the USA; Ontario, Canada;
Switzerland; Pamplona, Spain and in Mexico.
Best Field Indicators are typical pink color, crystal habit, and hardness, slow
reaction to acid, density and luster.[6]

USES

FIG.7.USES OF DOLOMITE

Dolomite is used as an ornamental stone, a concrete aggregate, and a source

of magnesium oxide, as well as in the Pidgeon process for the production of
magnesium. It is an important petroleum reservoir rock, and serves as the
host rock for large strata-bound Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) ore deposits
of base metals such as lead, zinc, and copper. Where calcite limestone is
uncommon or too costly, dolomite is sometimes used in its place as a flux for
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the smelting of iron and steel. Large quantities of processed dolomite are
used in the production of float glass.
In horticulture, dolomite and dolomitic limestone are added to soils and
soilless potting mixes as a pH buffer and as a magnesium source. Home and
container gardening are common examples of this use.
Dolomite is also used as the substrate in marine (saltwater) aquariums to
help buffer changes in pH of the water.
Calcined dolomite is also used as a catalyst for destruction of tar in the
gasification of biomass at high temperature.[7]
Particle physics researchers like to build particle detectors under layers of
dolomite to enable the detectors to detect the highest possible number of
exotic particles. Because dolomite contains relatively minor quantities of
radioactive materials, it can insulate against interference from cosmic rays
without adding to background radiation levels.[8]
Dolomite is a popular choice for motorcycle speedway tracks throughout
Australia and New Zealand.
Dolomite is used in the ceramic industry and in studio pottery as a glaze
ingredient, contributing magnesium and calcium as glass melt fluxes

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REFERENCES
1. JUD ITH A. MCKENZ IE and CR ISOGONO VASCONCELOS, (2009)
The Authors. Journal compilation 2009 International Association of
Sedimentologists, Sedimentology, 56, 205219
2. Geology.com(2005) Publisher :Dr. Hobart King, Professional geologist,
Mansfield University
3. Deer, W. A., R. A. Howie, and J. Zussman. 1996. An Introduction to the
Rock-Forming Minerals, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall. ISBN 0582300940
4. S. Krause, V. Liebetrau, S. Gorb, M. Sanchez-Roman, J. A. McKenzie, T.
Treude. Microbial nucleation of Mg-rich dolomite in exopolymeric
substances under anoxic modern seawater salinity: New insight into an old
enigma. Geology, 2012; DOI: 10.1130/G32923.1
5. Vinx, Roland (32011): Gesteinsbestimmung im Gelnde, Berlin / Heidelberg
6. Copyright 1995-2014 by Amethyst Galleries, Inc.
7. A Review of the Literature on Catalytic Biomass Tar Destruction National
Renewable Energy Laboratory.
8. Short Sharp Science: Particle quest: Hunting for Italian WIMPs
underground. Newscientist.com (2011-09-05). Retrieved on 2011-10-10.

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