Vinegar tests won me over for calcite spotting

I thought vinegar was too simple to find calcite in my samples. Seeing it fizz on a limestone piece changed my view completely. Do you have favorite easy methods for rock checks?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

the_elizabeth7mo ago

Guess vinegar works okay as a first glance thing, but it feels sloppy. Seen dolomite or some cement fizz a little too, doesn't mean you've got calcite. Really feels like if you care about what the rock actually is, you're gonna need more than kitchen stuff.

5

willowwells7mo ago

Totally get that. It's like all those DIY shortcuts online. They work for a minute, but you end up wasting time when you should just use the right tools.

8

spencer_kelly7mo ago

Read an article a while back about how the vinegar test can give false positives on a bunch of common minerals. It said even some types of dust or old glue on a rock can fizz a bit. Makes the whole kitchen chemistry approach seem pretty shaky if you want a real answer.

9