I have a sample of "sea green" calcite and wish to know what is the most likely cause of this colouration. Older publications cite inclusion of Cu ions however, more recent publications suggest this is unlikely due to incompatibility within a carbonate lattice. One further suggestion was partial alteration to malachite or inclusions of other minerals.
Put simply: what causes the wide range of colours observed in Calcite?
Thank you.
Dear Tom Hubbard, in all cases the coloration of calcite is due to the presence of other metal ions (mostly transition metal ions). Colors can range from yellow through pink, red, blue, and green to brown and even black. Green colors (often found in Mexico) can originate from the presence of malachite. Iron produces a yellow-brown coloration, cobalt gives pink and manganese leads to a light purple color.
Dear Frank T. Edelmann thank you for the reply. Finding information on this topic has proven difficult (it may be that I am simply looking in the wrong places). If you have any papers relevant to this topic on hand, would you please provide a link or paper ID? It would be of great help. And again, thanks very much for the reply.
Dear Tom Hubbard, you're welcome! There is a book entitled "Calcite, The Mineral with the Most Forms" (see attached) which could be useful.
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