Entry № 130
Dolomite
Calcium Magnesium Carbonate
A soft carbonate of pale-pink saddle crystals.
Chakra
Root · Heart
Element
Earth
Zodiac
Aries · Capricorn
I. The Metaphysical Reading
How the stone has been held.
Dolomite is worked with as a stone of moderated response, kept nearby during recovery from over-giving, boundary rebuilding and the small daily practices of pacing. Practitioners hold it as a reminder that softness is a workable form of strength.
- Chakra
- Root · Heart
- Element
- Earth
- Zodiac
- Aries · Capricorn
- Keynote
- A soft carbonate of pale-pink saddle crystals.
II. The Scientific Reading
What the lattice actually does.
Dolomite is a calcium magnesium carbonate that gives its name to an entire rock type and to the Italian Dolomite Alps, where the mineral was first described. Its curved saddle-shaped rhombohedra distinguish it from calcite, and it reacts more slowly to dilute acid — a standard field test used to tell the two apart.
- Formula
- CaMg(CO₃)₂
- System
- Trigonal
- Hardness
- 3.5 – 4 (Mohs)
- Provenance
- Italy (Dolomites), Spain, USA, Mexico, Brazil, DR Congo
References & Sources
Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.
Mineral Profile
Fact Sheet
- Chemical Formula
- CaMg(CO₃)₂
- Crystal System
- Trigonal
- Mohs Hardness
- 3.5 – 4 (Mohs)
- Density
- 2.84 – 2.86 g/cm³
- Refractive Index
- 1.500 – 1.679
- Provenance
- Italy (Dolomites), Spain, USA, Mexico, Brazil, DR Congo
- Color Origin
- Colourless, white, pale pink, grey; often saddle-shaped rhombohedra
Related Crystals
Stones that share this lattice
Next in the Atlas
Dravite
The warm brown tourmaline of tolerant company.
