What is the Difference Between Limestone and Dolomite?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Limestone and dolomite are both types of rock made of carbonate residues, but they have distinct differences in their composition, formation, and properties:
- Composition: Limestone is made of calcium carbonate, while dolomite is made of calcium magnesium carbonate.
- Formation: Limestone is primarily formed from the deposits of left-over shell secretions and skeletal material from marine organisms, while dolomite is formed through a process called "dolomitization," where lime mud and limestone are converted into magnesium. Dolomite tends to form under high saline conditions in environments like lagoons.
- Properties: Dolomite has a slightly different structure and chemical behavior compared to limestone, making it a double carbonate rock that doesn't readily dissolve in dilute acidic media. Dolomite achieves a higher resilience to acidic erosion, has a harder composition, and is less absorbent than limestone.
Both limestone and dolomite are used in construction and as a component of cement, but dolomite is often preferred over limestone due to its harder composition and higher resilience to acidic erosion.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Limestone and Dolomite? Comparative Table: Limestone vs Dolomite
Comparative Table: Limestone vs Dolomite
Here is a table comparing the differences between limestone and dolomite:
Feature | Limestone | Dolomite |
---|---|---|
Composition | Mainly calcite and aragonite (both CaCO3) | Calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2) |
Impurities | Commonly found: sand, clay, silt | Not as common: sand, clay, silt |
Formation | Formed from shell secretions/skeletal deposits of marine organisms | Formed under high saline conditions in environments like lagoons |
Dissolution | Readily dissolves in dilute acidic media | Doesn't readily dissolve in dilute acidic media |
Uses | Many other uses, such as construction, aggregate, and agriculture | Used as a source of magnesium oxide, construction materials, and agriculture |
Price | Calcite limestone is usually more expensive than dolomite | Dolomite is generally less expensive than calcite limestone |
Both limestone and dolomite are carbonate sedimentary rocks, but they differ in their composition, formation, and dissolution properties.
Read more:
- Calcite vs Dolomite
- Limestone vs Marble
- Limestone vs Sandstone
- Gypsum vs Limestone
- Limestone vs Chalk
- Marble vs Granite
- Calcium vs Calcium Carbonate
- Calcium Lactate vs Calcium Carbonate
- Calcite vs Aragonite
- Ammonite vs Ammolite
- Quicklime vs Hydrated Lime
- Calcite vs Halite
- Quartz vs Quartzite
- Rocks vs Stones
- Calcium Carbonate vs Calcium Citrate
- Calcite vs Quartz
- Basalt vs Granite
- Metamorphic Rocks vs Sedimentary Rocks
- Lava vs Magma