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My Mineral Collection, Calcites Page

This is my calcite collection. I've also included my aragonites and vaterite as they're trimorphs of calcite. Calcite is rightly called the chameleon of minerals due to its myriad occurrences and habits. There are a couple of beautiful zoned calcites at the bottom of the page.
Carbonates on Other Pages
For other carbonates, see my systematic carbonates page.
Specimens on This Page
(links take you to either the first or only specimen)

23 Rows

Aragonite

This is the habit of aragonite (the orthorhombic trimorph of calcite) called flos ferri or "flowers of iron" where the aragonite grows in a coral-like formation. This cabinet piece really sparkles!

Aragonite

This miniature aragonite's red because of included clay and is typical of the ones from Morocco.

Aragonite

More Moroccan aragonite - this one's bigger and redder .

Thanks to Daniel Kepler's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 2

Aragonite

Another aragonite cluster from Bou Azzer, Morocco - this miniature's well terminated.

Thanks to Cathy Krismanits' (Southwestern Sales) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Aragonite

A beautiful pale green aragonite cluster from the Hunan province of China.

Thanks to Miao Yang's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!

Aragonite

A cubic inch of beautiful purple-zoned aragonite from Aragón, Spain - the type locality! You can clearly see the pseudohexagonal trilling.

Thanks to Wayne Bloechl's (GeoJoe's) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 3

Aragonite

One more red aragonite (also probably from Morocco).

Thanks to Don Moore for the specimen!

Aragonite

A thumbnail of colorless aragonite from the famous Parkhouse Quarry, Johnby near Greystoke, Cumbria, England - they glow a pale green under LUV.

Thanks to Frank Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Aragonite

A small cabinet specimen of colorless aragonite tufts on (possibly) a coated aragonite layer on basalt from Washington. It's from the Jack Streeter Collection.

Thanks to Jan Garland's (Fine Rocks) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 4

Aragonite

An odd miniature of red stalactical aragonite from Carter County, Montana.

Thanks to Wright's Rock Shop's table at the 2003 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Aragonite

A beautiful miniature of light-blue (colored by copper) somewhat botryoidal aragonite from Wenshan, Yunnan Province, China.

Thanks to John Sobolewski's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Aragonite

A small cabinet sheet of green (nickel-colored) aragonite, probably from the Richelsdorf Smelter, Süss, Richelsdorf District, Bebra, North Hesse, Germany. Ex: Kerr Addison Collection.

Thanks to Jim Stevens' auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!

Row 5

Aragonite, var.
Nicholsonite

This is a miniature of nicholsonite (the zinc-rich variety of aragonite) on matrix from Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania - it glows a bright yellow-orange under longwave UV.

Thanks to Bill Awald's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Aragonite, var.
Tarnowitzite

I'm not sure where this small cabinet cluster of tarnowitzite (the lead-bearing variety of aragonite) comes from (probably Tsumeb).

Thanks to Justin Zzyzx's (ZzyzxMinerals) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Aragonite, var.
Cobaltian Aragonite

A miniature of cobaltian aragonite from the 2014 find in Gistain, Huesca, Aragón, Spain.

Thanks to Anna Jachymiak's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Row 6

Aragonite, var.
Zeiringite

A beautiful large miniature of zeiringite - aragonite colored by microscopic oriented inclusions of blue aurichalcite - on matrix from an old adit in thr Dobsina Mining District, Roznava County in the Kosice Region of Slovakia.

Thanks to Peter Zitnan's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!

Calcite

This blue banded small cabinet specimen of calcite comes from Harrisville, New York.

Calcite

A small cabinet green banded calcite from Mexico.

Row 7

Calcite

The Iceland Spar variety with notable double refaction - this small cabinet's from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Marcasite / Calcite

A classic small cabinet calcite, marcasite after calcite, and calcite after marcasite after calcite (the lower left calcite crystal is transparent enough to see a marcasite-coated calcite crystal inside!) - from the famous Brushy Creek Mine near Viburnum, Reynolds County, Missouri.

Calcite

A smallcabinet specimen of calcite, the variety called "dogtooth spar".

Row 8

Calcite

This small cabinet golden calcite "mountain range" with "ruby-jack" sphalerite comes from the Cumberland Mine in Smith County, Tennessee.

Thanks to Marty Lewadny at CrystalEnthusia (formerly Crystal Variations) for the specimen and the image!

Calcite

The Crestmore Quarry, Riverside County, California was home to this sky-blue calcite rhomb thumbnail.

Thanks to Gary Lozonne at Lozonne's Minerals for the specimen!

Calcite

When calcite's this red, it's usually because of microscopic included hematite - this miniature's from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Thanks to Judy Allen at Royal Sceptre for the specimen and the image!

Row 9

Calcite

A small cabinet specimen of very rare calcite with drusy magnetite, barite, hematite, and chalcopyrite on a magnetite matrix from the 1996 find at the Pea Ridge underground iron ore mine (the world's deepest), Meramec State Park, Sullivan, Washington County, Missouri.

Thanks to Dan Ryder's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

Big scalenohedrons of calcites coated with millimeter-sized calcite miniature from Romania.

Calcite

A swirl of calcites comprise this miniature from São Gabriel, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil.

Thanks to Greg Meyers' (Greg's Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 10

Calcite

Edge-on this looks like a snow-covered group of pines. Calcite, ilmenite, and sphalerite are all on this beautiful small cabinet specimen from Mexico.

Thanks to Dave Hayward at Lucky Strike Minerals for the specimen and the image!

Calcite

This is an orange calcite thumbnail cluster from Chihuahua, Mexico - it appears to have either phantoms or grown over something else.

Thanks to the Carnegie Natural History Museum Store for the specimen!

Calcite

This is a miniature chunk of "emerald" calcite from the mid-2001 find in Chihuahua, Mexico - the green color is due to chromium and most specimens from there also have brown regions and veins.

Row 11

Calcite

A small cabinet green optical calcite rhomb from the late 2001 find in Mexico.

Calcite

A small cabinet Moroccan calcite with a manganese-oxide mineral between the crystals.

Calcite

Massive calcite from the (now-closed) Zinc Corporation #2 Mine at Balmat, NY. Besides the orange fluorescing calcite this small cabinet specimen also has some millimeter-sized garnets and spinels (closeup, larger image) in association.

Thanks to Greg Lesinski's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 12

Calcite

A beautiful gemmy (typical) calcite prism thumbnail from the Bigrigg iron mines near Egremont, Cumberland (Cumbria), England.

Thanks to Steve & Susan Bringe's (Summit Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!

Calcite

Curved aggregates of calcite form this miniature calcite "frozen cloud" from Galagos, Mexico. It fluoresces a pale cream under longwave UV.

Thanks to Eric Greene's (Treasure Mountain Mining) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

This is a beautiful miniature of pink and rose calcite from famous Terlingua, Brewster County, Texas. The larger image shows the almost X-Ray-like LUV fluorescence - it's (mostly) confined to the visible rose-colored portion.

Thanks to Greg Lesinski's (GSL Rocks) auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 13

Calcite

Most dealers are calling these big clean calcite crystals from China "purple" - I'm not sure what color to call this small cabinet stacked group of 2-inch calcites, but they are impressive! The phantom in the topmost crystal glows a brighter yellow-green than the remainder of the crystal.

Calcite

This small cabinet specimen of frosty white calcite rhombs on dark gray limestone is from the Pine Creek Quarry near Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. It's an unusual locality piece (and a sentimental one - my dad grew up near there).

Thanks to Charles Creekmur's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

A nice blue calcite rhomb miniature from Mexico.

Row 14

Calcite

This is a very unusual calcite called "cone-in-cone calcite" and this cabinet specimen is from Kentucky. They're quite common, occur worldwide, and are often mistaken for fossils. A concise explanation is found on the second page of this leaflet.

Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

A beautiful intergrown miniature cluster of (probable) boulangerite-included calcite rhombs on a sphalerite matrix with tiny quartz crystals from the Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Maramures County, Transylvania, Romania. The larger image closeup (bottom row, right) shows the extreme curvature of the calcite faces due to inclusion-induced distortion. It also has a Transylvanian Minerals label.

Thanks to David H. Garske's (MINERALS and MORE) auction on eBay for the specimen and image!

Calcite

A pretty thumbnail of green included calcite "leaves" from the San Pedro Mine, Santa Fe County, New Mexico.

Thanks to North Star Minerals' table at the 2002 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Row 15

Calcite

An unusual miniature of (at least) two different calcite habits and colors (scalenohedral and hexagonal) from the Second Soviet Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Russia.

Thanks to Don Smoley's Minerals & Gems' table at the 2002 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Calcite

A full thumbnail's worth of a tan calcite crystal from the Berry Materials Quarry, North Vernon, Jennings County, Indiana.

Calcite

A sharp miniature cluster of scalenohedral calcite crystals with an unknown coating (possibly plattnerite) from the Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico.

Thanks to Juan Angel Tort-Figueroa of Torreon, Mexico, for the specimen!

Row 16

Calcite

A beautiful miniature of clustered hexagonal calcite crystals from Mexico - they glow bright orange-red under longwave fluorescent light. There's also some tiny intergrown pyrite cubes present.

Thanks to Stuart Schneider's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

A gorgeous pair of double-terminated hexagonal sand-included calcite prisms on matrix from Karten, Austria. This miniature's from the Mary & Gardner Miller (Missoula, Montana) Collection.

Thanks to Frank Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

This very rare excellent miniature twin (on the steep rhombohedral axis, {01·2}) of calcite with possible hollandite stars (larger image, center) may come from the Cardin area in Oklahoma.

Thanks to Marvin Schwalb's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 17

Calcite

This miniature of compact granular white calcite comes from the Mount Etna area in Italy - it glows bright yellow under longwave UV.

Thanks to Lynda McDowell's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

A miniature of yellow scalenohedral calcite on a clam shell matrix from the late 2003 find at Rucks Pit (Sham Rock & Shell Pit), Fort Drum, Okeechobee County, Florida.

Thanks to the Nature Expression's table at the 2003 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Calcite

A beautiful large cabinet piece of tabular hexagonal off-white calcite from San Andreasberg, Harz Mtns, Lower Saxony, Germany. The yellow centers of some of the crystals are typical of calcites from here.

Thanks to Jeannine McKenzie's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Thanks also to Terry Huizing at the (extra)Lapis table at the 2003 Carnegie Museum of Natural History Gem & Mineral Show for the locale identification!

Row 18

Calcite

A spectacular three-inch calcite crystal from the Ton Mawr Quarry, Cardiff, Wales, England. The dark line appears to be a twinning plane.

Thanks to Frank P. Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

A fascinating cleavage of optical calcite (miniature) with inclusions of chalcopyrite and hematite crystals from the Faraday Mine (Madawaska Mine), Bancroft, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.

Thanks to Sharon Burn's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

A large miniature of brilliant calcite crystals with complexly-faceted faces (larger image, middle row) from the Kalahari Manganese Fields, Kuruman, South Africa.

Thanks to Craig Ackermann's (KalahariMinerals.com) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Row 19

Calcite

A small cabinet cluster of gray calcite on a sulfide-rich matrix with a combination of rhombohedral and hexagonal crystal forms (see the drawing, larger image, top row, right). from Guangxi, China.

Thanks to Wayne & Tarissa Bloechl's (GeoJoe's Rock & Mineral Shop) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

A beautiful bright thumbnail calcite cluster from the Mina Sabinas, La Noria de San Pantaleón, Zacatecas, Mexico.

Thanks to Graeber & Himes' table at the 2004 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Calcite

A nice golden (pale yellow fluorescence) scalenohedral miniature with a phantom from the Mariposa Mine, Terlingua district, Brewster County, Texas.

Thanks to Jim Chude's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Row 20

Calcite

A highly phosphorescent "cauliflower calcite" small cabinet specimen from in between glacier-deposited boulders in the Black River, Jefferson County, New York.

Thanks to Markus Martin's auction on eBay for the specimen!

Calcite

A fascinating miniature of pale yellow calcite with mesolite inclusions from Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon.

Thanks to Jason Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Calcite

Very complex (larger image, top right) hematite-included calcites growing on colorless calcites comprise this small cabinet specimen from the Santa Eulalia District, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Thanks to Tom Hales' (Museum Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Row 21
 

, var.
Cobaltoan Calcite

This pretty thumbnail of cobaltoan calcite is from the 2003 find at the Aghbar Mine, Bou Azzer, Morocco.

Thanks to Steve & Susan Bringe's (Summit Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!

Calcite, var.
Manganoan Calcite

A miniature crystal of pale pink manganoan calcite from the famous Zinc Corporation Mine at Broken Hill, NSW, Australia.

Thanks to Jon Mommer's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Row 22

Calcite after
Ulexite

A beautiful thumbnail of calcite after (and on top of) ulexite from the US Borax Mine, Boron, Kern County, California - it was collected by Jack Crawford, a geologist for US Borax.

Cinnabarian Calcite

Calcite can have cinnabar inclusions as in this beautiful miniature from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Thanks to Brett Shafer at The Mineral Vug for the specimen!

Glendonite

Glendonite's the common name for calcite after ikaite - most specimens come from the Olenitsa River, White Sea Coast, Karelia Republic, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Ikaite is calcium carbonate hexahydrate and it's only stable at near-freezing temperatures (as in year-round arctic rivers such as the Olenitsa). The color is due to mud inclusions as the calcite replaced the ikaite. The larger image (right) shows a 2-inch diameter glendonite from Ile Ellesmere, Nunavut Canada. Note the lighter color and less open morphology.

Thanks to Don Smoley's Minerals & Gems' table at the 2001 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!

Thanks also to Jacques Poulin for the Nunavut glendonite image.

Row 23

Vaterite

An excellent thumbnail of fine-grained vaterite (the third, hexagonal, trimorph of calcite) from a single pocket at the Elmwood Mine in Smith County, Tennessee. It's been XRD-confirmed.

Thanks to Tony Nikischer at the Excalibur Mineral Company for the specimen!

Zoned Calcite

A small cabinet specimen of strikingly-zoned calcites on sphalerite from the Huinac Mine, La Merced, Huaraz, Aija Province, Ancash Department, Peru, See this MinDat photo for the beautiful cranberry-red SUV fluorescence. The inclusions may be boulangerite.

Thanks to Joanie & Ryan Christensen's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

Zoned Calcite

A gorgeous miniature of orange zoned calcite from the Bethel Level of the Annabel Lee Mine, Ozark-Mahoning Company, Harris Creek District, Hardin County, Illinois. It was mined in 1986 and has a Costigan's Minerals (Newport, MN) tag.

Thanks to the Houghton Estate Sales' auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!

maintained by: Alan Guisewite

Last Update 28 Mar 2015