1. Three-dimensional mineral dendrites reveal a nonclassical crystallization pathway.
- Author
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Zhaoliang Hou, Wos, Dawid, Tschegg, Cornelius, Rogowitz, Anna, Rice, A. Hugh N., Nasdala, Lutz, Fusseis, Florian, Szymczak, Piotr, and Grasemann, Bernhard
- Subjects
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DENDRITES , *MINERALS , *PORE water , *CRYSTALLIZATION , *CLINOPTILOLITE - Abstract
Manganese (Mn) dendrites are a common type of mineral dendrite that typically forms two-dimensional structures on rock surfaces. Three-dimensional (3-D) Mn dendrites in rocks have rarely been reported, and so their growth implications have largely escaped attention. Here, we combined high-resolution X-ray and electron-based data with numerical modeling to give the first detailed description of natural 3-D Mn dendrites (in clinoptilolite tuffs) and elucidate their growth dynamics. Our data show that 3-D dendrite growth occurred by accretion of Mn-oxide nanoparticles formed when Mn-bearing fluids mixed with oxygenated pore water. The geometry of the resulting structures is sensitive to ion concentrations, the volume of infiltrating fluid, and the number of fluid pulses; thus, 3-D dendrites record the hydrogeochemical rock history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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