Chemically oscillating reactions in the formation of botryoidal malachite
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Dominic Papineau
Abstract
The origin of banding patterns in malachite [Cu2CO3(OH)2] is an enduring problem in geology. While the bright green, vivid colors of this mineral have been attributed to the presence of Cu, no specific process has been proposed that can explain the perfect circularly concentric banding and geometrical shapes in botryoidal malachite. These patterns of concentric equidistant laminations are comparable to those arising from chemically oscillating experiments using the classical reactants of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction. Through optical microscopy and micro-Raman imaging, this contribution documents that the geometric centers of the self-similar geometric patterns are often composed of organic matter. Carbon isotopes and trace elements further suggest that non-biological decarboxylation reactions of biological organic matter took place during diagenesis. Hence, the morphological and chemical characteristics of chemically oscillating reactions offer a plausible explanation for the formation of botryoidal malachite and abiotic environmental decarboxylation reactions.
Acknowledgments
I acknowledge fruitful discussions on this topic with Z. She, K. Devine, J. Götze, G. Shields, N. Lane, E. Oelkers, R.M. Hazen, J. Cleaves, M. Chan, and T. Kee as well as continuing support from the LCN and UCL. Z. She and B. Shen are acknowledged for preparing solutions and providing preliminary trace element analyses. A.-L. Jourdan performed stable isotope analyses and G. Tarbuck conducted ICP-MS and ICP-OES analyses, both of whom are gratefully acknowledged. J.M. McArthur and two anonymous reviewers are kindly thanked for constructive comments that improved this manuscript.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Buoyant rise of anorthosite from a layered basic complex triggered by Rayleigh-Taylor instability: Insights from a numerical modeling study
- Chemically oscillating reactions in the formation of botryoidal malachite
- Micro- and nano-size hydrogarnet clusters and proton ordering in calcium silicate garnet: Part I. The quest to understand the nature of “water” in garnet continues
- Micro- and nano-size hydrogarnet clusters in calcium silicate garnet: Part II. Mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical aspects
- Petrogenetic insights from chromite in ultramafic cumulates of the Xiarihamu intrusion, northern Tibet Plateau, China
- Enigmatic diamonds from the Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka
- Volcanic SiO2-cristobalite: A natural product of chemical vapor deposition
- Mg diffusion in forsterite from 1250–1600 °C
- Alteration of magmatic monazite in granitoids from the Ryoke belt (SW Japan): Processes and consequences
- Smamite, Ca2Sb(OH)4[H(AsO4)2]·6H2O, a new mineral and a possible sink for Sb during weathering of fahlore
- The new K, Pb-bearing uranyl-oxide mineral kroupaite: Crystal-chemical implications for the structures of uranyl-oxide hydroxy-hydrates
- Changes in the cell parameters of antigorite close to its dehydration reaction at subduction zone conditions
- Memorial of Edward J. Olsen 1927–2020
Articles in the same Issue
- Buoyant rise of anorthosite from a layered basic complex triggered by Rayleigh-Taylor instability: Insights from a numerical modeling study
- Chemically oscillating reactions in the formation of botryoidal malachite
- Micro- and nano-size hydrogarnet clusters and proton ordering in calcium silicate garnet: Part I. The quest to understand the nature of “water” in garnet continues
- Micro- and nano-size hydrogarnet clusters in calcium silicate garnet: Part II. Mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical aspects
- Petrogenetic insights from chromite in ultramafic cumulates of the Xiarihamu intrusion, northern Tibet Plateau, China
- Enigmatic diamonds from the Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka
- Volcanic SiO2-cristobalite: A natural product of chemical vapor deposition
- Mg diffusion in forsterite from 1250–1600 °C
- Alteration of magmatic monazite in granitoids from the Ryoke belt (SW Japan): Processes and consequences
- Smamite, Ca2Sb(OH)4[H(AsO4)2]·6H2O, a new mineral and a possible sink for Sb during weathering of fahlore
- The new K, Pb-bearing uranyl-oxide mineral kroupaite: Crystal-chemical implications for the structures of uranyl-oxide hydroxy-hydrates
- Changes in the cell parameters of antigorite close to its dehydration reaction at subduction zone conditions
- Memorial of Edward J. Olsen 1927–2020
