Dolomite in caves: Recent dolomite formation in oxic, non-sulfate environments. Castañar Cave, Spain
Dolomite is a common mineral in the rock record but rare in recent superficial environments. Where it does occur, it is related to anoxic, sulfate-rich environments and microbial activity. The occurrence of some dolomite deposits in caves, however, indicates that dolomite formation is also possible...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2008 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) |
| Repositorio: | Docta Complutense |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/49296 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/49296 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | 552.5 Dolomite Caves Huntite Low-temperature Recent Castañar Cave Spain Petrología |
| Sumario: | Dolomite is a common mineral in the rock record but rare in recent superficial environments. Where it does occur, it is related to anoxic, sulfate-rich environments and microbial activity. The occurrence of some dolomite deposits in caves, however, indicates that dolomite formation is also possible in oxic, non-sulfate settings. Dolomite is forming at 17 °C and in oxic-vadose conditions on the host rocks and aragonite speleothems of the Castañar Cave, Cáceres, Spain. It appears as spheroids and dumbbells 50–300 μm in diameter that internally consist of micron-sized rhombic to rounded crystals. Initially this dolomite is Carich, non-stoichiometric and poorly ordered. Mg-rich solutions allow the precipitation of metastable Mg-rich carbonates, such as huntite. This soon transforms into this Ca-rich dolomite, which later “ages” to form a more stoichiometric dolomite. These dolomites show similarities to those grown under anoxic, sulfate-rich conditions and their presence in caves provides a different setting that may contribute to the understanding of the “dolomite problem”, including their initial formation and later recrystallization processes. |
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