Pisolite

Pisoids in the Conococheague limestone (Upper Cambrian) of eastern Pennsylvania

Pisolitic limestone; Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; pisolith diameters average 1.0 cm

QEMSCAN mineral map of pisoids

A pisolite is a sedimentary rock made of pisoids, which are concretionary grains – typically of calcium carbonate which resemble ooids, but are more than 2 mm in diameter. These grains are approximately spherical and have concentric layers reaching 10 mm in diameter.

The name derives from the Hellenic word for pea. Bauxites, limonites and siderites often have a pisolitic structure.

Further reading

• Manutchehr-Danai, Mohsen (2009). Dictionary of gems and gemology (3rd ed.). Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-72795-8.