The dissolution kinetics of major sedimentary carbonate minerals

Climatic dependence of stable carbon and oxygen isotope signals recorded in speleothems: From soil water to speleothem calcite

The morphology and stratigraphy of speleothems are controlled by parameters that depend on climate. These are the water supply rates feeding the speleothem, e.g. a stalagmite, the growth rates dependent on the chemical kinetics of calcite precipitation and the supersaturation of the solution from which calcite is precipitated. To elucidate the basic principles of speleothem growth, a physical…chemical model of calcite precipitation is used to estimate growth rates under various geologically relevant conditions. Furthermore, we present a model that allows the computation of the growth history of stalagmites, i.e. their morphology and stratigraphy under varying climatic conditions. This enables us to see how climatic signals are inscribed into stalagmites. Owing to the counter-balancing effects of some parameters, it is not possible to read climatic conditions backwards from the morphology and stratigraphy of a speleothem in a simple way, but a basic understanding of the growth of speleothems can be a helpful supporting tool in the interpretation of palaeoclimatic records.

S. Ringer

Papers

Precipitation kinetics of calcite in the system CaCO3H2OC02: The conversion to CO2 by the slow process H++HCO3− → CO2+H2O as a rate limiting step