Carbonatite

The area around Sudbury is well known for its rich nickel and mineral deposits that resulted from the rich in volcanic activity in this Precambrian shield area. Carbonatite is a calcium and silica rich rock material that comes from an old volcanic shaft in that area. It has a very reactive and plant available concentration of calcium carbonate- CaCO3. The 'reactivity' of the rock mineral is important, because this reflects how quickly a mineral will be broken down in the soil by the microbiology into a form that is readily available to the plants. This form of calcium results in a very reactive aglime that is effective in countering soil acidification. The size of the mineral particles definitely impacts the effectiveness of microbes in breaking down the rock material. Micronized rocks- those that are ground down into a very fine powder, definitely break down quicker than sand grain sized pieces. However, the physical hardness of the rock, along with its crystalline structure also has an impact. Carbonatite is a very good mineral addition for soils as it has a nanocrystalline structure, so the particles are roughly a thousandth of the size of micron powdered limestone. It gets taken up by soil ecosystems faster than many other calcites, and has consequently been likened to 'pet food for your microbes'. Carbonatite also contains a very good level of phosphorus that is readily soluble and available to the plants root structure. The phosphorus found in carbonatite can be found in its apatite content. Unfortunately, many phosphate containing rocks tend to also have significant levels of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes, including cadmium, thorium and uranium. The apatite found in Spanish River Carbonatite is free of these types of heavy minerals and radioactivity. It also contains a respectful level of Biotite which is a form of high energy clay which is held together by potassium ions. This potassium can become available in a quick manner and in a form that is readily taken up by the plant. This biotite has a CEC capacity of 180meq/100g. This makes it a better potassium and clay contributor than Greensand. Carbonatite also contains a most extensive suite of trace minerals, many of which are critical catalysts in mineral/microbial/plant interactions. These provide the punch to the microbial populations that helps to speed up the breakdown of this mineral in your soils.