Limestone

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/limestone

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary mineralogy?Composed mainly of calcite and aragonite (polymorphs of CaCO3)
2. What is the dominant formation process?Biogenic accumulation of marine organism skeletal remains over geological time
3. What is limestone made of?Limestone is a rock made from tiny shells and skeletons. It mainly contains calcite and aragonite, two forms of calcium carbonate.
4. How does limestone form?Many sea creatures build shells from calcium in the water. When they die, their shells pile up on the seafloor and become limestone. Sometimes calcium carbonate also comes out of water by itself.

Calcite/Aragonite: Different crystalline forms of calcium carbonate, the primary mineral constituent of limestone.
Biogenic Accumulation: The process where the remains of living organisms accumulate to form geological deposits like limestone.
Karst Topography: A landscape shaped by the dissolution of soluble rocks, typically limestone, featuring caves, sinkholes, and underground drainage.
Dolomitization: A diagenetic process where calcium carbonate in limestone is replaced by calcium magnesium carbonate, forming dolomite.