Rock Identification with Willsey: Carbonate Sedimentary Rocks (Limestone and Dolostone)

Learn how to identify, describe, and understand the carbonate sedimentary rocks (limestone and dolostone) with geology professor Shawn Willsey.

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Shawn Willsey
148 Blue Lakes Blvd N
#141
Twin Falls, ID 83301

[hime]

Muriatic Acid is diluted Hydrochloric, and can be bought from any hardware store.

[firinne]

2:44
6:44
8:15

Thank you for making this video! Very informative

[lmgaab]

Many thanks, Shawn, for your outstanding videos: Clear, yet challenging, outstanding demeanor and attitude, infectious curiosity, and and clear presentations. Shirley and Larry

[kunit]

Thanks again!! Watched several of your videos today, you are a great teacher 🙏

[elisabeth]

Thank you so much! I have been struggling in my geology class until I found you! BIG difference in how you describe things and how clearly defined things are! Thank you again!

[DrGeorginaCook]

Plenty of limestone in the UK where it is generally subdued / lower in the landscape due to erosion compared with other more resistant rock types as you say because it’s so WET here 😂😢. Often recognised by short very green grass growing on it, and very often grazed by sheep. Karst scenery.
If you ever visit the UK do visit Castleton in the Peak District (central UK) for limestones with mineralisation (Blue John fluorospar, barite, lead, pyrite), many caves open to tourists with stalagmites, stalactites, minerals etc. geology heaven! Also a few volcanics and a lot of gritstone in the area too (if you like climbing .. it’s famous).
Thanks again for the videos.

[georgehatfield]

Enjoy your videos! A ready source of hydrochloric acid can be found at a typical hardware store in the form of muriatic acid which is about 30% HCl. Just dilute it one to three and you have 10%. It costs about $7 per quart.

[caseyjones]

Very impressive, good concise presentations, thank you for the videos. Look forward to more for sure.

[rodchallis]

I was particularly looking forward to this video. Where I live, field stones are a real dog's breakfast. It's nothing to find fossiliferous limestone next to black or pink granite from the Canadian Shield. The glaciers distributed a real mess. I find fossiliferous limestone commonly, though given the direction of the glaciers, it could be either Silurian or Devonian. Heck, even Ordovician isn't out of the question. I've cleaned up a few fossiliferous rocks by giving them a soak in hot pickling vinegar. I did notice that some reacted vigorously, while some did not. Now I know why. The upper layers of the Niagara Escarpment are Dolostone, so obviously some got deposited in the fields here.

[dancarlton]

I once went to Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky. Awesome. Limestone within the area.

[GunsandCoasters]

Digging into my childhood again...

There was a nearby pool where I spent many, many summer days. We'd either walk or ride our bikes to it. If we walked, we'd go as the crow flies as it was all open land. There was this little ravine we'd crawl down and back up the other side. I remember it being white and, well, chalky. I don't know if I knew what it was at the time.

The next time I'm up at my parents I'll have to see if I can find it, if it's even still around. I don't remember the exposed area being that big, and I have no idea how extensive it is/was.

[stevengeorge]

Thank you, Shawn! A tutorial on common invertebrate fossils would be great. 🙂

[veratrabold]

Thank you so very much, this lesson was very helpful to me.

[CurlyToedShoes]

First time visitor to your channel, and I'm excited to have learned that I most likely found a large chunk of travertine on a recent hike in NM. Very informative!

[robertsheets]

Really enjoying this series! Don't forget about phytoplankton as a major contributor to limestone.

[farmboypresents]

Building supply store will sell HCL in 5 litre containers if you want it.

[albertmorrissette]

truly am enjoying your video series. You are a great instuctor

[BC_Cutler]

Thanks again for the informative video! Regarding the info you share at the 4:40 mark - speaking of cliff-forming rocks....Have you ever been to Notch Peak in west-central Utah? If you haven't, you should definitely try to get out there some time! One of Utah's many hidden gems. I'd love to see a video about that! :D

[tn]

I found very smooth, layered gray stones on the Southern shore of lake Erie in PA. It has many small shiny flecks, and some seem to have fossils. It is an excellent sharpening stone and I've flattened a few for that purpose. It is light colored like your micrite but far more layered, like your second stone. I have been researching what these stones might be for a couple weeks. I thought slate, then maybe shale, but now wondering if it is limestone....

[DelScully]

Great video, cheers from a UofC geo major!