sedimentary
Limestone
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectMohs hardness of 3, colors range from white to gray and brown, dull to earthy luster, and it reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid by effervescing.
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Physical properties
Mohs hardness of 3, colors range from white to gray and brown, dull to earthy luster, and it reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid by effervescing.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the accumulation of skeletal fragments, coral, algal, and fecal debris in shallow marine environments over millions of years.
Uses & applications
Widely used in the construction industry for crushed stone in road base, as an aggregate for concrete, and in the manufacturing of cement and agricultural lime.
Geological facts
Limestone often preserves a rich record of marine fossils and makes up roughly ten percent of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks on Earth.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its characteristic reaction with acid and relatively soft texture, found abundantly in sedimentary basins worldwide.
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Fossil-bearing concretion, possibly containing a fossil shell or other organic inclusion
Calcareous concretion; exact fossil and host-rock composition are not identifiable from the image
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Fossiliferous Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary limestone with invertebrate fossil imprint
fossil
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Sandstone
Arenite
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Shale
Shale (clastic sedimentary rock)
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Shale (or Mudstone/Siltstone)
Sedimentary Mudrock (SiO2, Al2O3 base with clay minerals)
sedimentary