How does gypsum form?

How does gypsum form?

the gypsum is a mineral that forms by evaporation of brackish water (sea water highly saturated with mineral salts).

Where is gypsum found in France?

In Provence (approximately 13% of French production): in particular in Lantosque (06) and Mazan (84) where the open-pit quarry, the largest in Europe, has a production capacity of 750,000 you/year. In the South-West (approximately 9% of French production), in Carresse (64), Pouillon (40).

How hard is a gypsum?

Flattened prismatic crystals also sometimes have the elongated appearance of lamella or fiber: gypsum is then said to be lamellar or fibrous. They can also be grouped in parallel needles, in a bouquet, in radiated stalactiform clusters. Gypsum has a Mohs hardness of about 2.

How strong is a gypsum?

The “high mass” of exploitable gypsum can reach between 15 and 18 meters in power. This upper layer of Ludian gypsum is still observable to the east of Paris in the quarries of Livry-Gargan, in Seine-Saint-Denis. The exploitable “second mass” does not exceed 7 to 8 meters.

What are the different types of gypsum?

Depending on the nature and arrangement of the crystals, gypsum could be called compact, lamellar, fibrous, earthy or saccharoid. Alabaster in fine grainy masses, translucent to white, sand rose with cores of quartz grains and gypsum mica are considered varieties of the evaporite rock.

What is Gypsum?

Gypsum and chemical derivatives of the calcium sulphate family such as plaster represent a common filler in pastels. Very often, the root “gypsum” has served to form technical words that apply to certain components of this family.