scholarly journals Insights into past ocean proxies from micron-scale mapping of sulfur species in carbonates

Geology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 833-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine V. Rose ◽  
Samuel M. Webb ◽  
Matthew Newville ◽  
Antonio Lanzirotti ◽  
Jocelyn A. Richardson ◽  
...  

Abstract Geological reconstructions of global ocean chemistry and atmospheric oxygen concentrations over Earth history commonly rely on the abundance and stable isotopic composition (δ34S) of sulfur-bearing compounds. Carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS), sulfate bound within a calcium carbonate mineral matrix, is among the most commonly interrogated sulfur mineral phases. However, recent work has revealed variability in δ34SCAS values that cannot be explained by evolution of the marine sulfate reservoir, challenging the common interpretation that CAS is inherently a high-fidelity record of seawater sulfate. To investigate the source of this inconsistency, we used X-ray spectromicroscopy to map the micron-scale distribution of S-bearing sedimentary phases in Ordovician-aged (ca. 444 Ma) shallow marine carbonates from Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada. Clear differences in the abundance of CAS are observed between cements and fossils, suggesting that variance in bulk-rock data could be a consequence of component mixing and that coupled synchrotron-petrographic screening can identify the carbonate components that are most likely to retain primary CAS. Furthermore, we observe multiple, distinct forms of sulfate (both inorganic and organic). Differences in these forms among fossil clades could provide new insights into biomineralization mechanisms in extinct organisms.

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Ríos-Reyes ◽  
German Alfonso Reyes-Mendoza ◽  
José Antonio Henao-Martínez ◽  
Craig Williams ◽  
Alan Dyer

This study reports for the first time the geologic occurrence of natural zeolite A and associated minerals in mudstones from the Cretaceous Paja Formation in the urban area of the municipality of Vélez (Santander), Colombia. These rocks are mainly composed of quartz, muscovite, pyrophyllite, kaolinite and chlorite group minerals, framboidal and cubic pyrite, as well as marcasite, with minor feldspar, sulphates, and phosphates. Total organic carbon (TOC), total sulfur (TS), and millimeter fragments of algae are high, whereas few centimeters and not biodiverse small ammonite fossils, and other allochemical components are subordinated. Na–A zeolite and associated mineral phases as sodalite occur just beside the interparticle micropores (honeycomb from framboidal, cube molds, and amorphous cavities). It is facilitated by petrophysical properties alterations, due to processes of high diagenesis, temperatures up to 80–100 °C, with weathering contributions, which increase the porosity and permeability, as well as the transmissivity (fluid flow), allowing the geochemistry remobilization and/or recrystallization of pre-existing silica, muscovite, kaolinite minerals group, salts, carbonates, oxides and peroxides. X-ray diffraction analyses reveal the mineral composition of the mudstones and scanning electron micrographs show the typical cubic morphology of Na–A zeolite of approximately 0.45 mμ in particle size. Our data show that the sequence of the transformation of phases is: Poorly crystalline aluminosilicate → sodalite → Na–A zeolite. A literature review shows that this is an unusual example of the occurrence of natural zeolites in sedimentary marine rocks recognized around the world.


Author(s):  
Pratama Istiadi Guntoro ◽  
Yousef Ghorbani ◽  
Jan Rosenkranz

AbstractCurrent advances and developments in automated mineralogy have made it a crucial key technology in the field of process mineralogy, allowing better understanding and connection between mineralogy and the beneficiation process. The latest developments in X‑ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) have shown a great potential to let it become the next-generation automated mineralogy technique. µCT’s main benefit lies in its capability to allow 3D monitoring of the internal structure of the ore sample at resolutions down to a few hundred nanometers, thus excluding the common stereological error in conventional 2D analysis. Driven by the technological and computational progress, µCT is constantly developing as an analysis tool and successively it will become an essential technique in the field of process mineralogy. This study aims to assess the potential application of µCT systems, for 3D ore characterization through relevant case studies. The opportunities and platforms that µCT 3D ore characterization provides for process design and simulation in mineral processing are presented.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 598
Author(s):  
Jose R. A. Godinho ◽  
Gabriel Westaway-Heaven ◽  
Marijn A. Boone ◽  
Axel D. Renno

This paper demonstrates the potential of a new 3D imaging technique, Spectral Computed Tomography (sp-CT), to identify heavy elements inside materials, which can be used to classify mineral phases. The method combines the total X-ray transmission measured by a normal polychromatic X-ray detector, and the transmitted X-ray energy spectrum measured by a detector that discriminates between X-rays with energies of about 1.1 keV resolution. An analysis of the energy spectrum allows to identify sudden changes of transmission at K-edge energies that are specific of each element. The additional information about the elements in a phase improves the classification of mineral phases from grey-scale 3D images that would be otherwise difficult due to artefacts or the lack of contrast between phases. The ability to identify the elements inside the minerals that compose ore particles and rocks is crucial to broaden the application of 3D imaging in Earth sciences research and mineral process engineering, which will represent an important complement to traditional 2D imaging mineral characterization methods. In this paper, the first applications of sp-CT to classify mineral phases are showcased and the limitations and further developments are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. e5-e8
Author(s):  
M. Simon ◽  
M. D. Stockholm
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  

1992 ◽  
Vol 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Riley ◽  
Ji-Ping Zhou ◽  
A. Manthiram ◽  
John T. McDevitt

ABSTRACTMany of the high temperature superconductor phases degrade rapidly when in the presence of water, acids, carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. In order to foster more rapid developments in the area of high-Tc research, it will be necessary to acquire a more complete understanding of the surface chemistry of these superconducting materials. In this paper, the relative reactivity of the common cuprate phases toward water is reported. X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy measurements are utilized here to establish the reactivity trends.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Debrie ◽  
Dimitri Prêt ◽  
Karim Benzerara ◽  
Jean Paul Saint Martin

<p>Stromatolites, i.e. macroscopically laminated carbonate rocks formed by diverse microbial communities, are particularly emblematic geobiological materials since they are the oldest evidence of life-mineral interactions, dated up to 3.5 Gyrs ago.  They are found throughout the history of the Earth and have received strong attention because they provide precious information about microbial paleobiodiversity and paleoenvironments. However, while this information is interpreted based on our knowledge about modern analogs, the latter remains very incomplete. Here, we studied recently discovered modern stromatolites from Mari Ermi<sup>1</sup>, a coastal pond in Western Sardinia, that seasonally experience severe evaporation and broad salinity variations. For this purpose, we explored the mineralogical composition of these unique sedimentary archives and its spatial variations in order to gain better insight into how mineral phases record the conditions and processes of their formation. We investigated the heterogeneous distribution of minerals using quantitative X-ray chemical maps provided by energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry analyses coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDXS). Hyperspectral maps were analyzed using an innovative data treatment method <sup>2</sup> allowing phase recognition within the complex mineral mixtures and solid solutions encountered. This method provided quantitative data on spatial distribution, modal content and associated calculated unit formulas for each identified mineral and phase with a hundred nanometer resolution. Based on these results, we will discuss the origin of the laminations in the stromatolites.</p><p>Reference:</p><p>1. Saint Martin, J.-P. & Saint Martin, S. Geo-Eco-Marina <strong>21</strong>, 35–53 (2015a).</p><p>2. Prêt, D. et al. American Mineralogist <strong>95</strong>, 1379–1388 (2010).</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 724-731
Author(s):  
Hemin Liu ◽  
Qian Huang ◽  
Liang Zhao

This study investigates the deterioration of concrete containing limestone powder exposed to sulfate solution under ambient temperature (20~25 °C). Microstructure and mineral phases within the attacked concrete were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the addition of limestone powder increased the initial porosity of concrete. Consequently, a larger amount of SO2–4 ions diffused into the concrete containing limestone powder, and their degree of deterioration caused by sulfate attack increased with the increase in limestone powder content. At ambient temperature, gypsum and ettringite were the major attack products, respectively within the surface and nearsurface portions of concrete containing limestone powder, which was consistent with the products of sulfate attack within concrete without limestone powder. Therefore, the type and distribution of the attack products in concrete had not been revised due to the addition of limestone powder. Nevertheless, the adverse influence of limestone powder on the sulfate resistance of concrete, even at ambient temperature, should be considered. Furthermore, effective measures should be implemented to improve the durability of concrete containing limestone powder in this environment.


1995 ◽  
Vol 50 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 381-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Kintrup ◽  
Harald Züchner

Abstract X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been carried out to study the reaction of differently prepared palladium samples (solid and film Pd) with atmospheric oxygen. A careful curve fitting of the measured Pd-3d5/2 peak allows to separate the Pd-3d5/2 peak for Pd in surface PdO from the dominant Pd-3d5/2 peak of the non-oxidized bulk palladium and to determine the chemical shift of the "oxidized" Pa line with high accuracy. Differences in the chemical shifts for the surface PdO on solid and film palladium are explained by a different charging caused by the photoelectric effect in XPS measurements. The smaller charging effect observed for film palladium as compared to solid palladium indicates a stronger oxygen bonding to the (rougher) film palladium. The strong Pd-O bonding seems to be an essential reason for the reduced hydrogen-permeability of film palladium compared to solid palladium


Cerâmica ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (341) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Palanivel ◽  
U. Rajesh Kumar

The present investigation is carried out to estimate the firing temperature and conditions of firing of ancient pottery shreds excavated recently from Sembiankandiyur, Tamil Nadu, India. FTIR and XRD studies have been attempted on these shreds to characterize the mineral composition of the pottery artifacts in respect of their different physical attributes. The firing temperature and conditions were inferred from the mineral phases of the samples exhibited by the infrared spectra and X-ray diffractograms recorded in as received state. TG-DTA is the complementary technique to elucidate the firing temperature from the thermal characteristic reactions such as dehydration, decomposition and transformations of minerals under the controlled firing of the samples in inert atmosphere.


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