Calcareous quaking mire develops in as a topogenic mire in basins fed by very calcareous, nutrient-poor groundwater, with generally thin peat, less than 2 m thick. It occurs widely throughout Europe but is most widespread in Finland and Sweden. The surface is kept permanently very wet and covered by an extensive moss carpet with only sparse vascular plants, sometimes disposed over irregular patterns of flarks and hollows. Calcium precipitation can occur on the surface, and the carpet is often interrupted by stretches of open water.