Abstract
A travertine specimen collected from the western part of Yunnan Province of China was subjected to microstructural analysis by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A new formation mechanism was proposed whereby polycrystalline rhombohedral particles of magnesium-containing calcite underwent a phase transformation into sheaf-like clusters of aragonite microrods. It is proposed that a high concentration of magnesium ions and embedded biological matter poisoned the growth of calcite and therefore instigated the phase transformation of the core of the rhombohedral calcite particles to an aragonite phase with a higher crystallinity. The single crystalline aragonite microrods with a higher density than the Mg-calcite nanocrystallites grew at the expense of the latter to generate sheaf-like clusters. This newly discovered formation mechanism is expected to enhance previous knowledge on this geologically important phase transformation from a morphology point of view.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen CC, Albert FG, Chafetz HS, Combie J, Graham CR, Kieft TL, Kivett SJ, McKay DS, Steele A, Taunton AE, Taylor MR, Thomas-Keprta KL, Westall F (2000) Microscopic physical biomarkers in carbonate hot springs: implications in the search for life on mars. Icarus 147:49–67
Andersson AJ, Mackenzie FT, Bates NR (2008) Life on the margin: implications of ocean acidification on Mg-calcite, high latitude and cold-water marine calcifiers. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 373:265–273
Arp G, Reimer A, Reitner J (2001) Photosynthesis-induced biofilm calcification and calcium concentrations in phanerozoic oceans. Science 292:1701–1704
Atkins P, De Paula J (2010) Atkins’ Physical Chemistry. 9th Ed., Oxford
Bravais A (1866) Études Crystallographiques. Gauthier-Villars, Paris
Capezzuoli E, Gandin A, Pedley M (2014) Decoding tufa and travertine (fresh water carbonates) in the sedimentary record: the state of art. Sedimentology 61:1–21
Chen XY, Qiao MH, Xie SH, Fan KN, Zhou WZ, He HY (2007) Self-construction of core–shell and hollow zeolite analcime icositetradedral: a reversed crystal growth process via oriented aggregation of nanocrystallites and recrystallization from surface to core. J Am Chem Soc 129:13305–13312
Curie P (1885) Sur la formation des cristaux et sur les constants capillaires de leurdifférentes faces. Bull Soc Fr Minéral Cristallogr 8:145–150
de Choudens-Sánchez V, González LA (2009) Calcite and aragonite precipitation under controlled instantaneous supersaturation: elucidating the role of CaCO3 saturation state and Mg/Ca ratio on calcium carbonate polymorphism. J Sediment Res 79:363–376
Donnay JDH, Harker D (1937) A new law of crystal morphology extending the law of Bravis. Am Mineral 22:446–467
Folk RL (1974) The natural history of crystalline calcium carbonate; effect of magnesium content and salinity. J Sediment Res 44:40–53
Friedel MG (1907) Étudessurla loi de bravais. Bull Soc Fr Minéral Cristallogr 30:326–455
Hacker BR, Kirby SH, Bohlen SR (1992) Time and metamorphic petrology: calcite to aragonite experiments. Science 258:110–112
Hacker BR, Rubie DC, Kirby SH, Bohlen SR (2005) The calcite → aragonite transformation in low-Mg marble: equilibrium relations, transformation mechansims, and rates. J Geophys Res-Sol 110, B03205
Han YS, Hadiko G, Fuji M, Takahashi M (2006) Crystallization and transformation of vaterite at controlled pH. J Cryst Growth 289:269–274
Hartman P, Perdok WG (1955) On the relations between structure and morphology of crystals. II. Acta Crystallogr 8:521–524
Jin D, Wang F, Yue L (2011) Phase and morphology evolution of vaterite crystals in water/ethanol binary solvent. Cryst Res Technol 46:140–144
Jones B, Renaut RW (2008) Cyclic development of large, complex, calcite dendrite crystals in the Clinton travertine, interior British Columbia, Canada. Sediment Geol 203:17–35
Kawano J, Shimobayashi N, Miyake A, Kitamura M (2009) Precipitation diagram of calcium carbonate polymorphs: its construction and significance. J Phys Condens Matter 21:425102–425107
Kroch A, Nebelsick JH (2010) Echinoderms and oligo-miocene carbonate systems: potential applications in sedimentology and environmental reconstruction. Int Assoc Sedimentol Spec Publ 42:201–228
Lin S-J, Huang W-L (2004) Polycrystalline calcite to aragonite transformation kinetics: experiments in synthetic systems. Contrib Mineral Petrol 147:604–614
Loste E, Wilson RM, Seshadri R, Meldrum FC (2003) The role of magnesium in stabilising amorphous calcium carbonate and controlling calcite morphologies. J Cryst Growth 254:206–218
Mackenzie FT, Bischoff WD, Bishop FC, Loijens M, Schoonmaker J, Wollast R (1983) Magnesium calcites; low temperature occurrence, solubility and solid state behaviour. Rev Mineral Geochem 11:97–144
Nielsen LC, de Yoreo JJ, DePaolo DJ (2013) General model for calcite growth kinetics in the presence of impurity ions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 115:100–114
Nindiyasari F, Griesshaber E, Fernández-Díaz L, Astilleros JM, Sánchez-Pastor N, Ziegler A, Schmahl WW (2014) Effects of Mg and hydrogel solid content on the crystallisation of calcite carbonate in biomimetic counter-diffusion systems. Cryst Growth Des. doi:10.1021/cg500938k
Ostwald W (1896) Lehrbuch der Allgemeinen Chemie. W. Engelmann, Leipzig, Germany, Vol. 2, Part 1
Pentecost A (1985) Association of cyanobacteria with tufu deposits: identity, enumeration and nature of the sheath material revealed by histochemistry. Geomicrobiol J 4:285–298
Pentecost A (2005) Travertine. Springer, The Netherlands
Perdikouri C, Piazolo S, Kasioptas A, Schmidt BC (2013) Hydrothermal replacement of aragonite by calcite: interplay between replacement, fracturing and growth. Eur J Mineral 25:123–136
Plee K, Ariztegui D, Martini R, Davaud E (2008) Unravelling the microbial role in ooid formation – results of an in situ experiment in modern freshwater Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Geobiology 6:341–350
Raz S, Weiner S, Addadi L (2000) Formation of high-magnesian calcites via an amorphous precursor phase: possible biological implications. Adv Mater 12:38–42
Raz S, Hamilton PC, Wilt FH, Weiner S, Addadi L (2003) The transient phase of amorphous calcium carbonate in sea urchin larval spicules: the involvement of proteins and magnesium ions in its formation and stabilization. Adv Funct Mater 13:480–486
Ruan X, Li L, Liu J (2013) Flocculating characteristic of activated sludge flocs: interaction btween Al3+ and extracellular substances (EPS). J Environ Sci 25:916–924
Schroeder JH, Dwornik EJ, Papike JJ (1969) Primary protodolomite in echinoid skeletons. Geol Soc Am Bull 80:1613–1616
Vu B, Chen M, Crawford RJ, Ivanova EP (2009) Bacterial extracellular polysaccharides involved in biofilm formation. Molecules 14:2535–2554
Wulff G (1901) Zur frage der geschwindigkeit des wachstums und der auflösung der kristallflächen. Z Kristallogr 34:449–530
Yang XF, Fu JX, Jin CJ, Chen J, Liang CL, Wu MM, Zhou WZ (2010) Formation mechanism of CaTiO3 hollow crystals with different microstructures. J Am Chem Soc 132:14279–14287
Yuan D, Wang Y (2013) Effects of solution conditions on the physicochemical properties of stratification components of extracellular polymeric substances in anaerobic digested sludge. J Environ Sci 25:155–162
Zhou G-T, Yao Q-Z, Ni J, Jin G (2009) Formation of aragonite mesocrystals and implication for biomineralization. Am Mineral 94:293–302
Acknowledgments
HFG would like to thank the University of St Andrews for the studentship and Mr Ross Blackley for his help on using the SEM and TEM microscopes. WZZ thanks EPSRC for financial support on FEG-SEM equipment (EP/F019580/1) and a Platform (EP/K015540/1).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Editorial handling: J. G. Raith
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Greer, H.F., Zhou, W. & Guo, L. Phase transformation of Mg-calcite to aragonite in active-forming hot spring travertines. Miner Petrol 109, 453–462 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-015-0367-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-015-0367-5