Calcite vein in limestone
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Calcite vein in limestone by Rudi Winter as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Calcite vein in limestone
Image: © Rudi Winter Taken: 8 Jun 2014
Calcite is recrystallised calcium carbonate. While the limestone matrix is made up of ground fossil shells with some sand mixed in, the calcite in the vein is crystallised from solution. The specimen was found near the south end of Wren's Nest, where a fault line surfaces. The crack would have formed due to compressive stress near the fault. Subsequently, water has infiltrated the rock, dissolved some of the limestone and collected in the crack. Gradually, the solution has become supersaturated with calcium carbonate, and crystallisation has started from the surfaces adjoining the crack, gradually filling it up.
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Image Location
Latitude
52.520982
Longitude
-2.093836