Abstract
Universal stage investigations show, in stereographic projection, the two-dimensional and three-dimensional growth forms of cave-pearl dendrites. This fabric “picture” permits the application of the Neumann-Minnigerode-Curie principle: the symmetry elements of the cause of growth and the symmetry elements of the effects (in this case, the dendrites) are connected by the symmetry elements of the medium, in this case, the calcite crystal. The dendrites appear in the nuclei of mine cave pearls, in intermediate layers separated by regular ooid layers, or on cave-pearl surfaces. The main factors that trigger dendritic growth are the presence of supersaturated or highly supersaturated solutions and, in some cases, the presence of impurities, for some calcitic dendrites clearly contain them, while others do not. These inferences are confirmed by field observations in the Ruhr coal mine, by analyses of groundwater in which the cave pearls formed, and by examination of photos of thin sections. Free surface dendrites grow in a three-dimensional tree-like arrangement; dendrites within the cave-pearl body grow mainly in a two-dimensional plane. Cave-pearl dendrites occur in three fabric types: nuclear dendrites, body dendrites, and surface dendrites.
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Kirchmayer, M. Universal stage grain fabric statistics on dendrites of mine cave pearls. Carbonates Evaporites 2, 59–65 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03174304
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03174304