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A new crystal growth form of vaterite, CaCO 3
Author(s) -
Shaikh A. M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of applied crystallography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.429
H-Index - 162
ISSN - 1600-5767
DOI - 10.1107/s0021889890002485
Subject(s) - vaterite , calcite , tufa , calcium carbonate , microcrystalline , mineralogy , chemical engineering , crystal (programming language) , morphology (biology) , crystallography , materials science , geology , carbonate , chemistry , composite material , aragonite , metallurgy , paleontology , programming language , engineering , computer science
Microcrystalline vaterite, CaCO 3 , has been synthesized by decomposition of ikaite, CaCO 3 .6H 2 O, crystals at room temperature. Scanning electron micrographs show that vaterite occurs as arborescent aggregates ~30 to 40 μm in size. This growth form has not been described before. It is of interest that the overall morphology of the vaterite is reminiscent of some dendritic calcite tufas, although on a smaller scale. This similarity opens up the possibility that the calcitic tufas such as that associated with the Quaternary Lake Lahonton, Nevada, may have been deposited as vaterite that changed to calcite, while preserving the original growth form.