carbonatite

[kahr-bon-uh-tahyt]

noun

1. a calcitic or dolomitic carbonate rock emplaced as an igneous intrusion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of carbonatite¹

carbonate + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

It is the world's only active carbonatite volcano, producing lava that is unusually fluid and relatively cool at about 550 degrees Celsius, compared to the 650 to 1,200 degrees typical of most magmas.

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For example, a search for rare earth minerals might begin by looking for an unusual kind of carbon-rich rock called a carbonatite, which often contains pockets of rare earths formed when it crystallized out of lava.

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If the crust is ever pulled apart by rifting, however, the trapped carbon can spill upward and erupt as rare carbonatite lava, which contains far more CO2 than standard lava.

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“At the very edge of the craton we get these carbonatite lavas,” he says.

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There's also carbonatite lava, plus under-the-sea volcanism and hydromagmatic eruptions, which are neato.

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