High School

Some kinds of limestone form when calcium carbonate crystallizes from shallow ocean water. Are these limestones chemical sedimentary rocks or organic sedimentary rocks?

Answer :

Limestone that forms from the crystallization of calcium carbonate from shallow ocean water is classified as a chemical sedimentary rock, due to the precipitation of calcium carbonate rather than the accumulation of organic material.

Limestone formations that result from calcium carbonate crystallizing from shallow ocean water are typically classified as chemical sedimentary rocks. These types of sedimentary rocks differ from clastic sedimentary rocks, which form from the weathered particles of other rocks, and from organic sedimentary rocks, which form from the accumulation of organic debris like plant or animal material. In this case, as the ocean water evaporates, calcium carbonate precipitates and forms limestone without the direct accumulation of organic materials, thereby making it a chemical rather than an organic sedimentary rock.

Examples such as marine limestone deposits, which primarily consist of the mineral calcium carbonate (CaCO3), demonstrate this process. The limestone can undergo further transformation through heat and pressure to form marble, but the original limestone from ocean water evaporation remains a chemical sedimentary rock because it's based on the chemical precipitation of calcium carbonate.

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