Magnesium Carbonate is used in low fire glazes to produce opacity and matteness. Magnesium carbonate is commonly added to glazes, especially at low fire, to make them crawl (it shrinks and cracks the glaze layer at the low end of firing and then its high melt viscosity pulls the glaze melt into islands). This often produces dramatic visual effects, especially if the crawling glaze color contrasts with the underlying body or slip.