What is the dolomite problem?

Unexplained mountains are always disconcerting for geologists. But for certain sludge-dwelling bacteria, making dolomite is no problem at all. read more

The dolomite problem is well recognized as such. Dolomite has been found in soil, coal, rivers, lakes, pearls and even kidney stones of Dalmatian dogs. A diagenetic dolomitization in these examples is not possible. read more

But for certain sludge-dwelling bacteria, making dolomite is no problem at all. There was a time when Earth made dolomite in great piles--piles like the Dolomite Mountains, in the Italian Alps, where French mineralogist Déodat de Dolomieu discovered the mineral in 1791. read more

Now dolomite is a mixture of calcium and magnesium, but when that is “carbonated”, it doesn't make dolomite, it usually results in a physical mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, but not stoichiometric dolomite. read more

Ahh, the dolomite problem. We really don't have a good idea how exactly it forms! See dolomite is CaMg(CO3)2. Now calcite us CaCO3 and magnesite is MgCO3, and all these minerals occur naturally and are all three very distinct structurally. read more