(Géologie) Carbonate naturel.
ETYM After the French geologist Dolomieu.
1. A kind of sedimentary rock resembling limestone but consisting almost entirely of the mineral dolomite.
2. A light colored mineral consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate; a source of magnesium; used as a ceramic and as fertilizer.
3. Magnesian limestone containing white marble.
4. White mineral with a rhombohedral structure, calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg (CO3)2). The term also applies to a type of limestone rock where the calcite content is replaced by the mineral dolomite. Dolomite rock may be white, gray, brown, or reddish in color, commonly crystalline. It is used as a building material. The region of the Alps known as the Dolomites is a fine example of dolomite formation.