A common mineral made of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) that is white or colorless and often used in building materials and chalk.
From Latin 'calx' (lime, limestone) + the suffix '-ite' (mineral). Coined in the early 1800s as geologists classified mineral types, derived from the mineral's lime-based composition.
Calcite is one of Earth's most abundant minerals—it forms everything from the shells of snails to cave stalactites, and if you scratch it with a knife, it actually fizzes when you add acid!
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