About Carbonate Minera
Carbonate minerals are compounds of metal cations combined with carbonate radicals. Carbonate minerals are widely distributed, among which calcium-magnesium carbonate minerals are the most developed, forming huge marine sedimentary layers, accounting for 1.7% of the total mass of the crust. Metal cations mainly include sodium, calcium, magnesium, barium, rare earth elements, iron, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, etc., which are combined with anion carbonate to form three types of structures: island, chain and layer. Mainly carbonates with island structure.
Carbonate minerals are widely distributed, among which calcium-magnesium carbonate minerals are the most developed, forming huge marine sedimentary layers, accounting for 1.7% of the total mass of the crust.
Element
Metal cations mainly include sodium, calcium, magnesium, barium, rare earth elements, iron, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, etc., which are combined with anion carbonate to form three types of structures: island, chain and layer. Mainly carbonates with island structure.
Shape
Carbonate minerals are mostly in columnar, rhombohedral and plate crystal forms. Colorless, white, if it contains transition ions, it will be colored. Mainly glass luster. Generally, the hardness and density are not large, and those in the trigonal crystal system have rhombohedral cleavage. Most carbonate minerals are of exogenous origin, mainly formed by sedimentation. In addition to magmatic carbonatites, most of the endogenous ones are hydrothermal products.