Red Abalone (IMAGE)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Red Abalone

Caption

The red abalone makes the lustrous but hard-as-nails nacre lining of its shell by changing the atomic structure of amorphous calcium carbonate to produce crystalline aragonite, the mineral that is the basis of nacre. Also known as mother-of-pearl, nacre has been worked by humans for millennia to make jewelry and fancy inlay for furniture and musical instruments.

Credit

Credit: Pupa Gilbert

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