Limestone is soluble or not. Properties of limestone. The rock is limestone. Limestone formula. Ocean floor: sediments

what is limestone, a mineral, everything about limestone, what is it made of, where is it mined!!!

  1. Calcium carbonate, which is part of limestone, can slowly dissolve in water and also decompose into carbon dioxide and corresponding bases. First process most important factor formation of karst, the second, occurring at great depths under the influence of the deep heat of the Earth, gives the source of gas for mineral waters.

    Limestone is a widespread sedimentary rock formed with the participation of living organisms in sea basins. This is a monomineral rock consisting of calcite with impurities. The name of the limestone variety reflects the presence in nm of remains of rock-forming organisms, area of ​​distribution, structure (for example, oolitic limestones), impurities (ferruginous), nature of occurrence (limestones), geological age (Triassic).

    Entire mountain ranges in the Alps and Crimea are made of limestone, and are also widespread in other places. Limestone has no shine, it is usually light-colored gray, but can be white or dark, almost black; bluish, yellowish or pink, depending on the composition of the impurities. The remains of skeletons of ancient animals are found in the limestone.

    Limestone is widely used as a building material, and fine-grained varieties are used to create sculptures.

    Firing limestone dates quicklime is an ancient binding material still used in construction 1. One of the main building materials obtained from limestone is limestone crushed stone, which is widely used in road construction and in the production of concrete. In metallurgy, limestone is used as a flux.

  2. Limestone is a sedimentary rock of organic, less often chemogenic origin, consisting primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of calcite crystals of various sizes.

    Limestone, consisting mainly of shells of marine animals and their fragments, is called shell rock. In addition, there are nummulitic, bryozoan and marble-like limestones, massively layered and thin-layered. During metamorphism, limestone recrystallizes and forms marble.

    Calcium carbonate, which is part of limestone, can slowly dissolve in water and also decompose into carbon dioxide and corresponding bases. The first process is the most important factor in the formation of karst, the second, which occurs at great depths under the influence of the deep heat of the Earth, is the source of gas for mineral waters, and absorbs water well. Limestone is widely used as a building material, and fine-grained varieties are used to create sculptures.

    Firing limestone dates quicklime an ancient binding material, still used in construction. One of the main building materials obtained from limestone is crushed limestone, which is widely used in road construction and concrete production. In metallurgy, limestone is used as a flux.

  3. Limestone is a soft rock that is widely used in construction.

    Most often, the rock is mined by blasting, which turns the limestone into crumbs.

    This mass is then lifted from the quarry by an excavator and transported to the factories.

    Currently, other methods are being introduced into practice that make it possible to loosen rock without causing an explosion.

    Caterpillar has developed new heavy-duty excavator machines equipped with special attachments that quickly loosen rock. There are excavators with both mechanical and hydraulic breakers.

    The device is attached to the handle with a special mount. Moreover, it is quick-release. The excavator driver can in a matter of seconds change the bucket to a breaker, which turns the rock into crumbs.

    Then the removable device is replaced with a bucket, which transports the loosened rock from the quarry. This machine is capable of crushing both soft and fairly hard limestone.

    The advantage of this method is also that it makes it possible to select breeds into different fractions already in the quarry. Although you can accurately choose a mining method only after analyzing the rock, you can still immediately say that this method is the future.

    In Germany, it is used when limestone deposits are located in areas with high population density. The method also pays off when it comes to the impact of production on the environment, since it reduces the share of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

    The method is actively promoted Russian company Zepelin, which uses RipLoad technology for non-explosive limestone mining. The company studies the physical and chemical properties of rock limestone at the facilities where it is delivered.

    As a result, data was obtained on what methods should be used in various fields.

    The third mining method is performed using a milling machine. At this method mechanical transformation of the rock into crumbs is carried out. Shredding, loading and transportation are carried out simultaneously.

    The lowest costs for rock extraction are achieved when using an excavator and a hydraulic breaker. An even more economical way is to use a mining machine, the operating costs of which are 7% lower than mining with an excavator.

  4. ATP class helped out a lot

Limestone composition

The chemical composition of pure limestones is close to calcite, where CaO is 56% and CO 2 is 44%. Limestone in some cases includes admixtures of clay minerals, dolomite, quartz, less often gypsum, pyrite and organic residues, which determine the name of limestone. Dolomitized limestone contains from 4 to 17% MgO, marly limestone - from 6 to 21% SiO 2 + R 2 O 3. The sandy and silicified limestone contains admixtures of quartz, opal and chalcedony. It is customary to reflect in the name of limestone the predominant presence of organogenic remains (bryozoan, algal), or its structure (crystalline, clotty, detritus), or the shape of rock-forming particles (oolitic, brecciform).

Description and types

Based on their structure, limestones are distinguished as crystalline, organogenic-clastic, detrital-crystalline (mixed structure) and sinter (travertine). Among crystalline limestones, based on the size of the grains, they are distinguished into coarse, fine, and cryptocrystalline (aphanitic), and based on the shine on the fracture - recrystallized (marble) and cavernous (travertine). Crystalline limestone is massive and dense, slightly porous; travertine - cavernous and highly porous. Among the organogenic-clastic limestone, depending on the composition and size of the particles, they are distinguished: reef limestone; shell limestone (), consisting mainly of whole or crushed shells, fastened with carbonate, clay or other natural cement; detritus limestone composed of shell fragments and other organogenic fragments cemented by calcite cement; algal limestone. White (so-called writing) limestone also belongs to organogenic-clastic limestones. Organogenic-clastic limestones are characterized by large, low volumetric mass and are easily processed (sawn and polished). Clastic-crystalline limestone consists of carbonate limestone of various shapes and sizes (lumps, clots and nodules of fine-grained calcite), with the inclusion of individual grains and fragments of various rocks and minerals, chert lenses. Sometimes the limestone is composed of oolitic grains, the cores of which are represented by fragments of quartz and flint. They are characterized by small pores of different shapes, variable volumetric mass, low strength and high water absorption. Sinter limestone (travertine, calcareous tuff) consists of sinter calcite. It is characterized by cellularity, low volumetric mass, and is easy to process and saw.

According to the macrotexture and conditions of occurrence, limestones are classified into massive, horizontally and obliquely layered, thick and thin slabbed, cavernous, fractured, spotted, lumpy, reef, pound, stylolite, underwater landslide, etc. Based on their origin, they distinguish organogenic (biogenic), chemogenic, clastic and mixed limestones. Organogenic (biogenic) limestones are accumulations of carbonate remains or entire skeletal forms of marine, less often freshwater, organisms, with a small admixture of predominantly carbonate cement. Chemogenic limestones arise as a result of the precipitation of lime followed by recrystallization of the carbonate mass of sediments, mainly from sea water (crystalline limestone) or from mineralized deposits (travertine). Clastic limestones are formed as a result of fragmentation, washout and redeposition of angular-rounded fragments of carbonate and other rocks and skeletal remains, mainly in marine basins and on the coasts. Limestones of mixed origin are a complex of deposits resulting from the sequential or parallel superposition of various processes of formation of carbonate sediments.

The color of limestones is predominantly white, light gray, yellowish; the presence of organic, ferrous, manganese and other impurities causes dark gray, black, brown, reddish and greenish coloring.

Limestone is one of the most widespread sedimentary rocks; she makes up various shapes relief of the Earth. Limestone deposits are found among sediments of all geological systems - from Precambrian to Quaternary; the most intensive formation of limestones occurred in the Silurian, Carboniferous, Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous; make up 19-22% of the total mass of sedimentary rocks. The thickness of the limestone strata is extremely variable: from a few centimeters (in individual layers of sediments) to 5000 m.

Properties of limestone

The physical and mechanical properties of limestone are extremely heterogeneous, but are directly dependent on their structure and texture. The density of limestone is 2700-2900 kg/m 3, varies depending on the content of impurities of dolomite, quartz and other minerals. The volumetric mass of limestone varies from 800 kg/m3 (for shell rocks and travertine) to 2800 kg/m3 (for crystalline limestones). The compressive strength of limestone ranges from 0.4 MPa (for shell rock) to 300 MPa (for crystalline and aphanitic limestone). When wet, the strength of limestones often decreases. Most deposits are characterized by the presence of limestones that are not uniform in strength. Losses due to wear, abrasion and crushability increase, as a rule, with a decrease in the volumetric mass of limestone. Frost resistance for crystalline limestones reaches 300-400 cycles, but changes sharply for limestones of a different structure and depends on the shape and connection of pores and cracks in it. The workability of limestones has a direct connection with their structure and texture. Shell rock and porous limestone are easy to saw and trim; crystalline limestones are well polished.

Application of limestone

Limestone has universal application in industry, agriculture and construction. In metallurgy, limestone serves as a flux. In the production of lime and cement, limestone is the main component. Limestone is used in the chemical and food industries: as an auxiliary material in the production of soda, calcium carbide, mineral fertilizers, glass, sugar, paper. It is used in the purification of petroleum products, dry distillation of coal, in the manufacture of paints, putties, rubber, plastics, soap, medicines, mineral wool, for cleaning fabrics and treating leather, and liming soils.

Limestone is the most important building material; cladding is made from it.

Limestone is a rock formed as a result of the precipitation of particles of an organogenic and chemogenic nature. Deposits of mineral raw materials used in various industries are distributed over vast territories.

Characteristics of the mineral composition of the rock

In the table of Mohs hardness values, limestone takes 3rd place as the indicators increase. Its hardness corresponds to 3, and its density depends on the content of impurities, including dolomite, quartz and other minerals.

Substances included in the chemical composition of limestone can be destroyed by water and slowly decompose into corresponding bases with the release of carbon dioxide. These natural processes are sources of gas for mineral waters and factors contributing to the formation of karst caves in the depths of the earth.

When the temperature gradient increases to 200°C, the stone quickly decomposes, and lime is formed as a result of firing.

The formula for limestone, which is composed of calcite, is CaCO3. If the composition contains dolomite, then chemical formula includes magnesium CaMg(CO3)2. Limestone rock, the composition of which is formed by shells and their fragments, is called shell rock (shell rock).

The color of the mineral is usually white or gray, but admixtures of organic substances change the rock, introducing black and dark gray shades. The presence of iron compounds in different concentrations gives a yellow, red or brown color.

Types of breed

The physical properties of limestone material depend on the presence of voids and pores in the rock. Mineral deposits are found in all geological systems.

The most intensive formation of sediments is in the Carboniferous and Chalk. The main characteristic of carbon limestone is its lack of shine and white color with a yellowish tint. His distinctive feature- ease of processing, variety of textured surfaces and natural patterns.

The structure of the mineral is varied and serves as the basis for distinguishing rock varieties. The following types are distinguished:

  • organogenic-clastic;
  • crystalline;
  • mixed (clastic-crystalline);
  • travertine (sinter).

Based on the size of the grains, coarse, fine and cryptocrystalline types of limestone are distinguished.

The material used as a writing instrument for drawing contours on fabric in order to develop a creative inclination in children, better known as chalk (white limestone), belongs to the type of organogenic-clastic formations. If you look at a piece of chalk under magnification, you can see small shells in it.

The thickness of the rock strata depends on the conditions of formation of sedimentary formations and ranges from a few centimeters to 5 km. The strength of limestone is low, and when wet it decreases.

Each deposit is characterized by an uneven indicator of the strength of the raw material. Marble-like limestone, unlike other mineral formations, including granite, has less hardness and is easy to process.

The properties of a mineral depend on the nature of its formation and composition. Sometimes the rock is composed of oolitic grains, fragments of quartz and silicon, and is characterized by small pores and low strength.

For example, travertine (sinter formation) is characterized by a cell-shaped structure and low bulk density; it is easy to process.

A typical example of carbonate formations in modern conditions observed near sources, in the waters of which the dissolved component settles on plants and various objects in the form of plaque.

Putilov limestone was once the main material for the construction of the city on the Neva. Excellent physico-chemical properties, mineral composition and resistance to impact external environment allow it to be actively introduced into construction as a decorative, cost-effective material.

Marbled limestone consists of carbonates and contains fossils in the form of mollusks and shells. The extracted material is grayish-blue, white with a yellow tint. Marble limestone rock is used as a finishing component for facades when performing restoration work.

Areas of application of mineral raw materials

The rock is not rare; deposits are mined all over the world. Dolomite reserves on the territory of the Russian Federation are distributed unevenly, and the main deposits of raw materials are concentrated in the Central federal district, in the Urals and Siberia.

Depending on the formation of the rock and the depth of development, limestone is extracted using special equipment that varies in functionality.

The material is used in various industries industrial production, metallurgy. Limestone in construction is used as:

  • unprocessed blocks of stone;
  • crushed stone;
  • lime (white);
  • facing slabs;
  • mineral chips and sand;
  • wall stone;
  • mineral wool and powder;
  • flour.

The cement industry uses types of mineral raw materials - chalk and marl. The use of the material in construction as a component for mortars, concrete, and plaster improves the quality and reliability of the work.

The special properties of carbonate formations make them an attractive material for decorative and finishing works. A variety of textures and textures decorate any interior.

Carbonate material (alabaster, gypsum) is an ornamental stone. Over the course of centuries of history, it has been used to make figurines, candlesticks, and jewelry. Products that have survived to this day are in demand among collectors and art connoisseurs.

Fluxed limestone and dolomite are used in metallurgy as a material and raw material for processing nepheline ores into cement, soda and alumina. Limestone is used as a material for the construction of hydraulic structures.

The fluxing additive of the component, introduced into the blast furnace charge in order to reduce the melting point of the rock that does not contain the ore component, is the only type of the main additive. In metallurgy, dolomitized limestone is used, which increases the content of magnesium oxide in the slag, which increases the mobility and stability of the chemical and physical properties of the material when the temperature gradient changes.

The production of the used compound, which changed the requirements for the properties of the flux, provided the opportunity to work with fragile materials. Therefore, shell rock is used as a charge. Its structure (high porosity) makes it possible to improve technological process and the quality of the material, and the chemical composition has a positive effect on maintaining temperature conditions.

The use of limestone in agricultural production (dolomite flour) can reduce soil acidity and increase crop yields. The rock is used as a raw material in the glass industry.

The limestone component is used for purifying sugar from impurities, polishing non-ferrous metal products, external coating of electrodes and thermal insulation of structural joints.

A person has a long-standing, friendly, strong relationship with limestone. Caves, washed by rain and groundwater in limestone, served as a refuge for our primitive ancestors. White natural stone became the main urban planning material of Ancient Rus'. The astringent properties of burnt, ground and soaked limestone made it possible to build strong walls from any stone. Many creations of architects of hoary antiquity are still pleasing to the eye, not least because powerful limestone massifs are located under the foundations of the buildings.

In Russia, limestone is ubiquitous - as well as in North America. But in Australia there are no calcium carbonate deposits at all. Other countries and continents have larger or smaller reserves of this mineral. Since the formation of lime deposits continues uninterruptedly, limestone is considered inexhaustible.

Properties of limestone

Limestone is the collective name for many rocks containing calcite (calcium carbonate) CaCO3. For ease of understanding, it is generally accepted that the formula of limestone coincides with the formula of calcite.
Limestones include noble marble and soft chalk. Thin crusts of travertines and mountains, folded and - the essence is limestone. Coral reefs and shell rock, beloved by builders, are also our good friend limestone.

Physically and chemically, limestone is not very stable. It dissolves in water - albeit not in too large quantities, but under any conditions. Almost all waters on Earth - except, perhaps, atmospheric vapors - are saturated with limestone to one degree or another.

Limestone cannot withstand the effects of acids, with which it reacts violently, releasing large quantity carbon dioxide. Such properties of limestone often pose a danger to people. Acidic groundwater and atmospheric precipitation, saturated with oxides, wash out huge cavities in calcite deposits - sometimes so quickly and “asymptomatically” that entire buildings along with their residents suddenly disappear in karst sinkholes...

As a building stone, limestone is valued for its flexibility to cutting tools, low density and excellent adhesive properties. Builders love it natural material and for the variety of its visual merits.

Shades of white – up to black color

Heterogeneous limestones are characterized by the most unusual color variations, but in most cases it is a light-colored (white or close to white) rock. Clay admixtures give limestone deposits a brown tint. Oxidized metals can darken the natural whiteness of calcite so much that the stone appears almost black.

Particularly valued are limestones colored by impurity agents in delicate, pleasing to the eye colors. Fine silicates (fine sand) give the mineral a warm terracotta color. Salts of non-ferrous metals can turn a grayish stone into a soft pink or greenish one.

Limestones whose calcite has undergone crystallization can take on any color. True, the color of calcite crystals is never saturated or thick, and therefore beautiful limestones are famous for their unobtrusive color combinations.

Application of limestone

Limestone is most widely used as a building material. The strength of many types of limestone is sufficient for the construction of multi-story buildings. Thin layers of wear-resistant stone - limestone - are a ready-made material for cladding buildings and paving paths. Layered limestone with a pronounced weathering relief is valued by decorators, designers and landscape architects.

Manufacturers of products made from natural limestone often successfully play with the biological origin of the rock. The shells of ancient mollusks, preserved in limestone deposits, become an important expressive element of finishing materials.

Cement is also indispensable for any construction - which, in turn, is made from a percentage-controlled mixture of limestone and clay. - this is the name of a type of limestone that contains the required amount of aluminosilicates - it is mined in many regions of the world.

Deposits of marly limestone are so abundant that China, having set out to launch widespread construction, only a few recent years produced as much cement as the United States has used in the past century and a half!

Chalk, a soft white limestone, is used not only for drawing on asphalt, making finishing compounds and tooth powder, but also for producing high-grade paper. In addition, without chalk, the main coating material for welding electrodes, the creation of metal structures would be extremely difficult. Neither rubber nor cable production can do without chalk.

Printers know lithographic limestone - a stone physical properties which allows you to create highly artistic engravings on its surface.

Limestone and dolomite are used in metallurgy. In heating engineering, limestone mineral wool is considered the best insulating material. Even food industry, especially sugar production, is a consumer of limestone! The sorbing properties of limestone are also in demand in the chemical industry.

Limestone deposits

Most Famous Russian deposit limestone is located near the village of Myachkovo, built near the confluence of Pakhra with the Moscow River. The white stone of the Myachkovo deposit created the glory of the white stone capital city. The strength of local limestones is such that millstones for mills and paving stones were made from certain varieties of the rock.

One of the largest deposits of limestone and dolomite in Europe is located in Ukraine, in Elenovka, Donetsk region. The development of the Elenovsky deposits has been going on for only a century and a half, which is a child’s age for limestone mines. The most ancient limestone quarries have been successfully exploited for several thousand years.

LIMESTONE, sedimentary rocks formed at the bottom of a warm sea from the remains of living creatures that lived in the water. At least 50% of limestone consists of calcite (CaCO3). There are many different types: carboniferous limestone, chalk, oolitic and... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Limestone- – sedimentary rock, according to chemical composition– calcium carbonate CaCo3; used as a facing material (for example, in plinths), for the manufacture of cornice slabs, blocks for bases, intermediate blocks in column trunks,... ... Encyclopedia of terms, definitions and explanations of building materials

See Lime, limestone... Brockhaus Biblical Encyclopedia

See Limestones. Geological Dictionary: in 2 volumes. M.: Nedra. Edited by K. N. Paffengoltz et al. 1978. Limestone ... Geological encyclopedia

Calcilutite, zoolite, madreporite, shell rock, chalk, phytolite Dictionary of Russian synonyms. limestone noun, number of synonyms: 16 anthraconine (2) ... Synonym dictionary

LIMESTONE, a sedimentary rock containing carbonates (mainly calcite) as the main minerals, as well as carbonated organic remains (shells, algae, corals, etc.), clay and sand particles... Modern encyclopedia

A sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite, rarely of aragonite; often with an admixture of dolomite, clay and sand particles. Limestones often contain the remains of calcareous skeletons of fossil organisms. Used in metallurgy... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

LIMESTONE, limestone, man. (mineral). Sedimentary rock containing lime. Limestones include marble, gypsum, and chalk. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

LIMESTONE, ah, husband. Sedimentary rock consisting mainly of... from lime spar. | adj. limestone, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

limestone- Mineral rock, rep. CaCO exists in the form of three polymorphs: calcite, aragonite and vaterite. Calcite has a bcc lattice (similar to NaCl), compressed along one of the diagonals of the cube to 76.66% of the original. length. Crystallic... ... Technical Translator's Guide

limestone- A white or light gray sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite or calcite skeletal remains of organisms... Dictionary of Geography

Books

  • , N. Andrusov, Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1890 edition (St. Petersburg publishing house). IN… Category: Business planning Publisher: YOYO Media, Manufacturer: Yoyo Media,
  • Kerch limestone and its fauna, N. Andrusov, Reproduced in the original author’s spelling of the 1890 edition (St. Petersburg publishing house)… Category: Geosciences, Geography, Environment, Planning Series: Publisher: