calcite

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CaCO3. Pure form is clear, but can take on many different colors with impurities. It is soft, fizzes in acid, and has three cleavages that are not at 90°. Thus, it can form slanted blocks, though it is visually common to be without any structure. Found in many sedimentary rocks from marine settings, rarely in igneous rocks, in the metamorphic rock marble, but is common as a secondary mineral throughout surface rocks.

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Author: Chris

Associate Professor, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah