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

3 Comments

the_elizabeth1mo 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.

willowwells1mo 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.

spencer_kelly27d 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.