Dolomite (pípè /ˈdɒləmaɪt/)

Dolomite
Dolomite
General
CategoryCarbonate mineral
Chemical formulaCaMg(CO3)2
Identification
Colorwhite, gray to pink
Crystal habittabular crystals, often with curved faces, also columnar, stalactitic, granular, massive.
Crystal systemtrigonal - rhombohedral, bar3
Twinningcommon as simple contact twins
Cleavagerhombohedral cleavage (3 planes)
Fracturebrittle - conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness3.5 to 4
Lustervitreous to pearly
Streakwhite
Specific gravity2.84–2.86
Optical propertiesUniaxial (-)
Refractive indexnω = 1.679–1.681 nε = 1.500
Birefringenceδ = 0.179–0.181
SolubilityPoorly soluble in dilute HCl unless powdered.
Other characteristicsMay fluoresce white to pink under UV; triboluminescent.
References[1][2][3][4]
Dolomite from Morocco.
Dolomite.


  1. Deer, W. A., R. A. Howie and J. Zussman (1966) An Introduction to the Rock Forming Minerals, Longman, pp. 489–493. ISBN 0-582-44210-9.
  2. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/dolomite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
  3. http://webmineral.com/data/Dolomite.shtml Webmineral
  4. http://www.mindat.org/min-1304.html Mindat data