Gypsum (Inventory)/Coating
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Revision as of 17:31, 25 June 2011
The Coating field of the Gypsum section should be used to list stations where a coating of gypsum is found.
A gypsum coating is a thin layer or layers of gypsum usually over bedrock or breakdown. It sometimes appears in the form of stars but can take on many forms. It is much thinner than a gypsum crust and more tightly adhered to the underlying structure.
It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between various coatings in the field without destructive testing. The distinctions between a gypsum coating and a gypsum crust may also be subtle.
Gypsum sometimes makes starbursts while calcite tends to have squarish crystals. Aragonite and moonmilk are both bright white. Coatings may build up in layers, coating upon coating, to form thicker coatings.
See also
References
- Hill, Carol; Paolo Forti (1997) Cave Minerals of the World (Second Edition ed.) National Speleological Society pp 55-56, 145 ISBN: 1-879961-07-5
