Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The reactions of calcite, dolomite, and HCl in metaphor

When dropping acid, calcite is a hot, shaken coke, while dolomite is a glass of guiness left on the coffee table over night.

Calcite's reaction to dolomite is simply a matter of age and life experience. Calcite is merely a young, naive carbonate which, due to youth or sheltered lifestyle, has never had a significant relationship with magnesium ions.

Dolomitization is generally a one-way reaction. It is almost unheard of for a dolomite to get calcified.

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