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Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) D02139 |
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| Crystal system | hexagonal. |
| Habit | rhombohedrons with curved faces; prismatic with rhombohedron terminations; massive, granular or fibrous; rarely tabular or octahedral. |
| Cleavage | perfect. |
| Fracture | subconchoidal. |
| Hardness | 3.5-4 |
| Specific Gravity | 2.8 |
| Color | colorless, white, gray, green, pale brown, pink. |
| Luster | transparent to subtranslucent with a vitreous or pearly luster. |
| Streak | none. |
| Distinguishing features | like calcite, dolomite reacts to HCl acid by bubbling - the difference is that dolomite reacts much more slowly than calcite. |
| Uses | used in making refractory bricks for the linings of furnaces and as a building material. |
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