carbonatite

[ kahr-bon-uh-tahyt ]

noun

1. a calcitic or dolomitic carbonate rock emplaced as an igneous intrusion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of carbonatite¹

carbonate + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

For example, a search for rare earth minerals might begin by looking for an unusual kind of carbon-rich rock called a carbonatite, which often contains pockets of rare earths formed when it crystallized out of lava.

From Science Magazine

If the crust is ever pulled apart by rifting, however, the trapped carbon can spill upward and erupt as rare carbonatite lava, which contains far more CO2 than standard lava.

From Science Magazine

“At the very edge of the craton we get these carbonatite lavas,” he says.

From Science Magazine

There's also carbonatite lava, plus under-the-sea volcanism and hydromagmatic eruptions, which are neato.

From Scientific American

Known as Ol Doinyo Lengai, the 7,650-foot-tall peak is the only known active volcano that belches out lava rich with a type of rock called carbonatite.

From National Geographic