Nanoscale Pathway of Modern Dolomite Formation in a Shallow, Alkaline Lake
- Author(s)
- Patrick Meister, Silvia Frisia, István Dódony, Péter Pekker, Zsombor Molnár, Stephanie Neuhuber, Susanne Gier, Ivett Kovács, Attila Demény, Mihály Pósfai
- Abstract
Dolomite [CaMg(CO
3)
2] formation under Earth surface conditions is considered largely inhibited, yet protodolomite (with a composition similar to dolomite but lacking cation ordering), and in some cases also dolomite, was documented in modern shallow marine and lacustrine, evaporative environments. Authigenic carbonate mud from Lake Neusiedl, a shallow, episodically evaporative lake in Austria consists mainly of Mg-calcite with zoning of Mg-rich and Mg-poor regions in μm-sized crystals. Within the Mg-rich regions, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed < 5-nm-sized domains with dolomitic ordering, i.e., alternating lattice planes of Ca and Mg, in coherent orientation with the surrounding protodolomite. The calcite with less abundant Mg does not show such domains but is characterized by pitted surfaces and voids as a sign of dissolution. These observations suggest that protodolomite may overgrow Mg-calcite as a result of the changing chemistry of the lake water. During this process, oscillating concentrations (in particular of Mg and Ca) at the recrystallization front may have induced dissolution of Mg-calcite and growth of nanoscale domains of dolomite, which subsequently became incorporated as ordered domains in coherent orientation within less ordered regions. It is suggested that this crystallization pathway is capable of overcoming, at least at the nanoscale, the kinetic barrier to dolomite formation.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Geology, Department of Evolutionary Biology
- External organisation(s)
- University of Pannonia, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- Journal
- Crystal Growth & Design
- Volume
- 23
- Pages
- 3202–3212
- No. of pages
- 11
- ISSN
- 1528-7483
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c01393
- Publication date
- 2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105104 Erosion, 105116 Mineralogy, 105121 Sedimentology
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics, General Chemistry, General Materials Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/4dadfcf6-e30b-400b-aa53-a7e01cdc63a0