Synonyms
Silica sinter ; Siliceous sinter
Definition
Sinter. A sedimentary rock primarily composed of silica that is precipitated from hot waters at the vents of high-temperature (high-enthalpy) hot springs and geysers , and from cooled waters on their surrounding discharge aprons.
Geyserite. A dense, banded or laminated variety of sinter that forms at and near the vents of geysers and some high-temperature springs.
Some banded and laminated types of nonmarine carbonates (calcite or aragonite), including spring travertines and speleothems , have also been termed “sinter” or “calc-sinter.” We suggest that the geological term “sinter” should be restricted to siliceous deposits precipitated from silica-rich waters discharged at hot springs and geysers.
Introduction
Sinters are deposits of silica precipitated by hot waters discharged at the vents of hot springs and geysers. Most sinters are precipitated as noncrystalline opal-A, but they change to quartz during diagenesis. They form almost...
Keywords
- Extracellular Polymeric Substance
- Amorphous Silica
- Geothermal Field
- Silica Precipitation
- Terrace Surface
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Allen, E. T., 1934. The agency of algae in the deposition of travertine and silica from thermal waters. American Journal of Science, 27, 373–389.
Cady, S. L., and Farmer, J. D., 1996. Fossilization processes in siliceous thermal springs: trends in preservation along thermal gradients. In Bock, G. R., and Goode, J. A. (eds.), Evolution of Hydrothermal Ecosystems on Earth (and Mars?). Ciba Foundation Symposium no. 202, Chichester, UK: Wiley, pp. 150–173.
Channing, A., and Butler, I. B., 2007. Cryogenic opal-A deposition from Yellowstone hot springs. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 257, 121–131.
Fein, J. B., Scott, S., and Rivera, N., 2002. The effect of Fe on Si adsorption by Bacillus subtilis cell walls: insights into the non-metabolic bacterial precipitation of silicate minerals. Chemical Geology, 182, 265–273.
Fournier, R. O., 1985. The behavior of silica in hydrothermal solutions. In Berger, B. R., and Bethke, P. M. (eds.), Geology and Geochemistry of Epithermal Systems, Reviews in Economic Geology. El Paso, TX: Society of Economic Geologists, Vol. 2, pp. 45–61.
Guido, D., de Barrio, R., and Schalamuk, I., 2002. La Marciana Jurassic sinter—implications for exploration for epithermal precious-metal deposits in Deseado Massif, southern Patagonia, Argentina. Applied Earth Science, 111, 106–113.
Iler, R. K., 1979. The Chemistry of Silica: Solubility, Polymerization, Colloid and Surface Properties, and Biochemistry. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
Jones, B., and Renaut, R. W., 1996. Influence of thermophilic bacteria on calcite and silica precipitation in hot springs with water temperatures above 90°C: evidence from Kenya and New Zealand. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 33, 72–83.
Jones, B., and Renaut, R. W., 2003. Hot spring and geyser sinters: the integrated product of precipitation, replacement, and deposition. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40, 1549–1569.
Jones, B., and Renaut, R. W., 2004. Water content of opal-A: implications for the origin of laminae in geyserite and sinter. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 74, 117–128.
Jones, B., and Renaut, R. W., 2007. Microstructural changes accompanying the opal-A to opal-CT transition: new evidence from the siliceous sinters of Geysir, Haukadalur, Iceland. Sedimentology, 54, 921–948.
Jones, B., Konhauser, K. O., Renaut, R. W., and Wheeler, R., 2004. Microbial silicification in Iodine Pool, Waimangu geothermal area, North Island, New Zealand: implications for recognition and identification of ancient silicified microbes. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 161, 983–993.
Konhauser, K. O., 2007. Introduction to Geomicrobiology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Konhauser, K. O., Phoenix, V. R., Bottrell, S. H., Adams, D. G., and Head, I. M., 2001. Microbial–silica interactions in Icelandic hot spring sinter: possible analogues for some Precambrian siliceous stromatolites. Sedimentology, 48, 415–433.
Krumbein, W. E., and Werner, D., 1983. The microbial silica cycle. In Krumbein, W. E. (ed.), Microbial Geochemistry. London: Blackwell, pp. 125–157.
Lalonde, S. V., Konhauser, K. O., Reysenbach, A-. L., and Ferris, F. G., 2005. The experimental silicification of Aquificales and their role in hot spring sinter formation. Geobiology, 3, 41–52.
Lynne, B. Y., Campbell, K. A., Perry, R. S., Moore, J., and Browne, P. R. L., 2006. Acceleration of sinter diagenesis in an active fumarole, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Geology, 34, 749–752.
Mountain, B. W., Benning, L. G., and Boerema, J., 2003. Experimental studies on New Zealand hot spring sinters: rates of growth and trace metal incorporation. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40, 1643–1667.
Phoenix, V. R., Konhauser, K. O., and Ferris, F. G., 2003. Experimental study of iron and silica immobilization by bacteria in mixed Fe-Si systems: implications for microbial silicification in hot springs. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40, 1669–1678.
Rimstidt, J. D., and Cole, D. R., 1983. Geothermal mineralization I: the mechanism of formation of the Beowawe, Nevada, siliceous sinter deposit. American Journal of Science, 283, 861–875.
Trewin, N. H., 1994. Depositional environments and preservation of biota in the Lower Devonian hot springs of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Earth Sciences, 84, 433–442.
Walter, M. R., 1976. Geyserites of Yellowstone National Park: an example of abiogenic “stromatolites”. In Walter, M. R. (ed.), Stromatolites. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 87–112.
Walter, M. R., Des Marais, D., Farmer, J. D., and Hinman, N. W., 1996. Lithofacies and biofacies of mid-Paleozoic thermal spring deposits in the Drummond basin, Queensland, Australia. Palaios, 11, 497–518.
Weed, W. H., 1889. Formation of travertine and siliceous sinter by the vegetation of hot springs. US Geological Survey 9th Annual Report (for 1887–1888), pp. 613–676.
White, D. E., Brannock, W. W., and Murata, K. J., 1956. Silica in hot-spring waters. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 10, 27–59.
Yee, N., Phoenix, V. R., Konhauser, K. O., Benning, L. G., and Ferris, F. G., 2003. The effect of cyanobacteria on silica precipitation at neutral pH: implications for bacterial silicification in geothermal hot springs. Chemical Geology, 199, 83–90.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Renaut, R.W., Jones, B. (2011). Sinter. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_189
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_189
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9211-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9212-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences