What is limestone composed of?

Asked by: Mike Mohamed

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is dominantly composed of the calcium-bearing carbonate minerals calcite and dolomite. Calcite is chemically calcium carbonate (formula CaCO₃). Dolomite is chemically calcium-magnesium carbonate (formula CaMg(CO₃)₂).

What is most limestone formed from?

Most limestone layers formed from marine sediment deposited on sea floors, although some formed in freshwater lakes and rivers and even on dry land. Sources for the calcite in limestone include seashells.

What minerals is limestone composed of?

limestone, sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), usually in the form of calcite or aragonite. It may contain considerable amounts of magnesium carbonate (dolomite) as well; minor constituents also commonly present include clay, iron carbonate, feldspar, pyrite, and quartz.

What creates limestone?

Limestone is formed in two ways. It can be formed with the help of living organisms and by evaporation. Ocean-dwelling organisms such as oysters, clams, mussels and coral use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) found in seawater to create their shells and bones.

What kind of rock is limestone?

sedimentary rock

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed principally of calcium carbonate (calcite) or the double carbonate of calcium and magnesium (dolomite). It is commonly composed of tiny fossils, shell fragments and other fossilized debris.

Where is limestone found?

Where is Limestone Found? Geologists have identified numerous limestone-forming environments around the globe. Most of them are in shallow waters between 30º N latitude and 30º S latitude. Most popular shallow water areas include the Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the dominant mineral in limestone?

Limestones are composed largely of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the mineral form calcite, but there are several other important carbonate minerals with which limestones are associated.

What is the final product of limestone?

Calcining. Once crushed and sized, the limestone is fed into kilns where it is calcined, basically cooked, at temperatures as high as 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. During this progression the extreme heat causes the limestone to chemically release carbon dioxide (CO2). The end result is lime.

What is the properties of limestone?

Physically, Limestone are Quite impervious, Hard, Compact, fine to very fine grained calcareous rocks of sedimentary nature. Chemically, both limestone and marbles are siliceous calcium carbonate rocks. Limestone, like marble and other calcareous stones, are referred to as acid sensitive.

Is limestone a mineral or a rock?

sedimentary rock

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3). It often has variable amounts of silica in it, as well as varying amounts of clay, silt, and sand. Limestone rocks fall under the category of sedimentary rocks that are made from mineral calcite.

Does limestone break easily?

As mentioned before, limestone already has a brittle composition to begin with. Due to its structure, it can break-up or dissolve quite easily. It is an inherent weakness which can be tricky to get around.

How can you tell if a rock is limestone?

If you look closely at a limestone, you can usually see fossil fragments (for example, bits of shell) held together by a calcite matrix. Limestone is more porous than marble, because there are small openings between the fossil fragments.
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Which country has the most limestone?

Egypt. Egypt is home to some of the largest limestone quarries in the world, as well as some of the most recognizable and identifiable limestone structures in the history of humankind.

Where is the most limestone in the world?

China, the US, Russia, Japan, India, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and Italy are some of the world’s largest limestone prouducers today. Some of the biggest quarries in the world, however, are in the U.S. state of Michigan, specifically near the Great Lakes’ coastlines.

What state has the most limestone?

Kentucky has more underground limestone mines than any other state in the nation The deepest mine, located in Jefferson County, recovers stone from a depth of more than 1,000 feet below the land surface. The Reed Quarry in western Kentucky is one of the largest producers of crushed stone in the United States.

Is limestone a metamorphic rock?

The main difference between limestone and marble is that limestone is a sedimentary rock, typically composed of calcium carbonate fossils, and marble is a metamorphic rock. Limestone forms when shells, sand, and mud are deposited at the bottom of oceans and lakes and over time solidify into rock.
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How is limestone formed BBC Bitesize?

limestone – A sedimentary rock created by layers of skeletons and shells of sea creatures found in ancient warm shallow seas settling and being compressed and hardened until it becomes stone.

How are limestone caves formed?

Caves are formed by the dissolution of limestone. Rainwater picks up carbon dioxide from the air and as it percolates through the soil, which turns into a weak acid. This slowly dissolves out the limestone along the joints, bedding planes and fractures, some of which become enlarged enough to form caves.

What is limestone powder?

Limestone powder is crushed and ground from natural limestone. Belsazar Hacquet [31] first distinguished limestone from dolomite as sedimentary rock. Limestone is mainly composed of skeletal fragment of organisms.

Can you eat limestone?

Limestone is a soft rock with many properties, so can you eat limestone? The answer is yes. Limestone is safe for consumption, with few adverse side effects (when consumed in accordance with accepted dietary guidelines).

Why is it called limestone?

limestone (n.)



late 14c., from lime (n. 1) + stone (n.). So called because it yields lime when burnt.