Abstract
Menilites, intriguing botryoidal rocks found in Galera, Granada, Spain, have been examined through a multidisciplinary approach integrating mineralogical analysis and advanced imaging techniques. Characterized as opal and dolomite-bearing rocks, their complex morphologies and diverse internal structures prompted an investigation into their origin. Employing microfocus X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray computed tomography, we present a detailed study of the menilites, revealing opal-A, opal-CT, dolomite and quartz as primary constituents. Notably, the internal homogeneity contrasts with the diverse external shapes. The proposed hypothesis suggests a seismic influence in menilite formation. Seismic events in porous environments above the water table may induce fluidization, resulting in the distinctive menilite structures. Osmotic pressure differences between nodules and the surrounding rock, coupled with fluidization during seismic events, could explain the observed morphologies. Validation of the proposed hypothesis requires further fieldwork and analogue experimentation. This study contributes valuable insights into the mineralogical composition, internal structures and potential formation mechanisms of menilites, laying the groundwork for future research in the field of sedimentary geology and mineralogy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, C.P., upon request.
References
3DFlow (2023) 3DF Zephyr Free
Alfaro P, Moretti M, Soria JM (1997) Soft-sediment deformation structures induced by earthquakes (seismites) in Pliocene lacustrine deposits (Guadix-Baza Basin, Central Betic Cordillera). Eclogae Geol Helvetiae 90:531–540
Alfaro P, Gibert L, Moretti M et al (2010) The significance of giant seismites in the Plio-Pleistocene Baza palaeo-lake (S Spain). Terra Nova 22:172–179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3121.2010.00930.x
Allen JRL (ed) (1982) Chapter 9 Soft-sediment deformation structures. In: Developments in sedimentology. Elsevier, pp 343–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0070-4571(08)71019-7
Barge LM, Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE et al (2015) From chemical gardens to chemobrionics. Chem Rev 115:8652–8703. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00014
Calvo M (2006) Ópalo. In: Minerales y Minas de España. Vol VIII. Cuarzo y otros minerales de la sílice. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas de Madrid. Fundación Gómez Pardo, pp 344–361
Calvo JP, Rodríguez-Pascua MA, Gómez-Gras D (2014) Rasgos sedimentarios indicadores de inestabilidad causada por actividad tectónica sismogenética. Las cuencas neogénas de las minas de Hellín y Cenajo (Prebético Externo, SE de España). Rev Soc Geológica Esp 27:205–221
Cignoni P, Callieri M, Corsini M et al (2008) MeshLab: an open-source mesh processing tool. In: Scarano V, Chiara RD, Erra U (eds) Eurographics italian chapter conference. The Eurographics Association. https://doi.org/10.2312/LocalChapterEvents/ItalChap/ItalianChapConf2008/129-136
de la Métherie JC (1797) Théorie de la terre. Maradan, Paris
Delabre, Quinquet (1987) Sur le pechstein de Mesnil-Montat. J Phys Chim Hist Nat Arts 31:219–223
Escavy JI, Herrero MJ (2019) Enterolithic folds in evaporites as microbially induced sedimentary structures: New model of formation and interpretation in the geological record. Sedimentology 66:2214–2233. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12588
Feldmann M, McKenzie JA (1997) Messinian stromatolite-thrombolite associations, Santa Pola, SE Spain: an analogue for the Palaeozoic? Sedimentology 44:893–914. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3091.1997.d01-53.x
Garcés M, Agustí J, Parés JM (1997) Late Pliocene continental magnetochronology in the Guadix-Baza Basin (Betic Ranges, Spain). Earth Planet Sci Lett 146:677–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(96)00240-3
Gibert L, Ortí F, Rosell L (2007) Plio-Pleistocene lacustrine evaporites of the Baza Basin (Betic Chain, SE Spain). Sediment Geol 200:89–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2007.03.003
IGME (2006) Magna. Mapa Geológico de España 1:50.000. Huéscar. Hoja No 950. 1 mapa : col.; 64x92 cm + 1 memoria (84 pags.).
Jameson R (1816) A system of mineralogy. A. Constable & Company, London
Kaldi J, Gidman J (1982) Early diagenetic dolomite cements; examples from the Permian Lower Magnesian Limestone of England and the Pleistocene carbonates of the Bahamas. J Sediment Res 52:1073–1085. https://doi.org/10.1306/212F80DA-2B24-11D7-8648000102C1865D
Martín JD (2016) XPowderX a software package for powder x-ray diffraction analisys. Qualitative, quantitative and microtexture, 1st edn. Godel Editorial
McNutt SR, Roman DC (2015) Chapter 59—volcanic seismicity. In: Sigurdsson H (ed) The encyclopedia of volcanoes, 2nd edn. Academic Press, Amsterdam, pp 1011–1034
Molina Grande MA, Molina García J (1980) Ídolos naturales de piedra en el bronce del Sureste Peninsular. Murgetana 59:5–36
Pimentel C, Zheng M, Cartwright JHE, Sainz-Díaz CI (2023) Chemobrionics database: categorisation of chemical gardens according to the nature of the anion, cation and experimental procedure**. ChemSystemsChem. https://doi.org/10.1002/syst.202300002
Porfiryev V (1970) Carpathian menilite. Rocks Miner 45:145–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.1970.11763829
Rocha LAM, Thorne L, Wong JJ et al (2022) Archimedean spirals form at low flow rates in confined chemical gardens. Langmuir 38:6700–6710. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00633
Rodríguez-Pascua MA, Calvo JP, De Vicente G, Gómez-Gras D (2000) Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in lacustrine sediments of the Prebetic Zone, SE Spain, and their potential use as indicators of earthquake magnitudes during the Late Miocene. Sediment Geol 135:117–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(00)00067-1
Sanz-Montero ME, Rodríguez-Aranda JP (2022) Seismites in Miocene gypsum microbialites: multiproxy tools for paleoenvironmental reconstruction of saline lakes. Sediment Geol 439:106219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2022.106219
Schindelin J, Arganda-Carreras I, Frise E et al (2012) Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis. Nat Methods 9:676–682. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2019
Wilson MJ (2014) The structure of opal-CT revisited. J Non-Cryst Solids 405:68–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2014.08.052
Acknowledgements
Microfocus X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed tomography analysis and observations were carried out at the Centro de Instrumentación Científica (CIC) of the University of Granada. C.P. acknowledges funding from Juan de la Cierva-Formación (grant FJC2018-035820-I) from the Spanish Ministry of Science. J.H.E.C. and C.I.S.D. acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish MINCINN projects FIS2016-77692-C2-2-P and PCIN-2017-098. A.G.C. was funded by project PID2020116660GB-I00 (Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-FEDER, MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033). The authors would also like to thank mindat.org and its contributors for the information freely available on the web, which made it possible to locate the Galera menilite site.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Conceptualization: CP and JHEC; formal analysis: CP and CGA; investigation: CP, AGC, CISD and JHEC; funding acquisition: CP, AGC, CISD and JHEC; writing––original draft preparation: CP and JHEC; writing––review and editing: CP, CGA, AGC, CISD and JHEC.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Pimentel, C., Gutiérrez-Ariza, C., Checa, A.G. et al. Mineralogical description and hypothesis on the formation of menilites from Galera, Granada (Spain). Phys Chem Minerals 51, 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-023-01267-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-023-01267-0