Carbonate Mineral Weathering

Definition

The dissolution of carbonate minerals from rock into natural waters, contributing calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate alkalinity.

This is one of the two directions from which carbonate enters water, the other being atmospheric CO2. Most ions have obvious single origins, but carbonate emerges from equilibrium, drawing partly from weathered rock. The rock source supplies the hardness ions and bicarbonate alkalinity that later drive scaling when conditions tip toward carbonate.

Related concepts

Carbonate Equilibrium · Natural Water Stability · Alkalinity

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry