Editorial material shelf
Carbonate mineral species.
Keep each chapter’s scientific identity: a family, species, variety, trade label, rock and fossil are different kinds of names.
Mineral species
Calcite appears in many colors and crystal habits, from softly colored rough to clear cleavage pieces. It is also a major rock-forming mineral in limestone and marble, giving it a story far beyond a collection shelf.
Twyla Baker · CC0 · Display crop
Mineral species
Malachite is known for sweeping green bands in polished material. Raw pieces can instead show rounded growths, fine fibers or sparkling surfaces.
Darla Sondrol · CC0 · Display crop
Mineral species
Azurite ranges from small sparkling crystals to blue masses on a host rock. Its deep blue can appear beside green malachite, creating a vivid record of copper minerals together.
Shannon Heinle · CC0 · Display crop
Mineral species
Rhodochrosite can be soft pink and banded, or form striking red-pink crystals. A sliced mass and a collector crystal show different expressions of the same manganese carbonate.
Original uploader was Tsumeb at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop
Mineral species
Aragonite shares the chemistry of calcite but has a different crystal structure. It can form branching clusters, elongated crystals or compact material, offering a useful lesson in mineral polymorphism.
JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Display crop
Mineral species
Dolomite commonly forms pale rhombohedral crystals and fine-grained rock material. Some crystals curve into a saddle-like shape, while pink and cream examples bring a softer palette to a collection.
Photo source · Public domain · Display crop
Mineral species
Smithsonite can form rounded, botryoidal surfaces and soft-looking blue, green, pink or other colors. A polished piece can look very different from a natural cluster.
Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop