Article
Article
Carbonatite
Article By:
Barker, Daniel S. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.108900
An igneous rock in which carbonate minerals make up at least half the volume. Individual occurrences of carbonatite are not numerous (527 have been claimed) and generally are small, but they are widely distributed. Carbonatites are important scientifically because they reveal clues about the composition and thermal history of the Earth's mantle. Economically, carbonatites provide important mines for some mineral commodities and are virtually the only sources of a few. See also: Carbonate minerals
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