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, fine-grained to coarse crystalline structure.
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Physical properties
Mohs hardness of 3, colors range from white to gray and brown, dull to earthy luster, fine-grained to coarse crystalline structure.
Formation & geological history
Formed from the accumulation of skeletal fragments of marine organisms or chemical precipitation in shallow marine environments over millions of years.
Uses & applications
Widely used in construction, cement production, agriculture for soil neutralization, and as a flux in steel manufacturing.
Geological facts
Limestone can form spectacular cave systems through dissolution by acidic groundwater, creating stalactites and stalagmites.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its vigorous fizzing reaction when exposed to dilute hydrochloric acid.
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Other sedimentary specimens
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
fossil
Fossiliferous Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary limestone with invertebrate fossil imprint
fossil
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Sandstone
Arenite
sedimentary
Shale
Shale (clastic sedimentary rock)
sedimentary
Shale (or Mudstone/Siltstone)
Sedimentary Mudrock (SiO2, Al2O3 base with clay minerals)
sedimentary