[1] In recent years it has become apparent that the ‘‘cool tropic paradox’’ of Paleogene and Cretaceous ‘‘greenhouse’’ climates arises because of the diagenetic alteration of tropical planktic foraminiferal calcite near the seafloor, yielding artificially high dO values. Because the Mg/Ca compositions of foraminiferal and inorganic calcite are thought to be quite different, Mg/Ca measurements s...

Late Devonian (Frasnian) abiotic marine calcite has been microsampled and analyzed for R’Sr/*6Sr ratios, 6’*0 and d13C values, and minor element concentrations. Portions of marine cement crystals from the Alberta and Canning Basins have escaped diagenetic alteration and preserve original marine S180 values f-4.8%0 + 0.5, PDB), Si3C values (+2.0 to +3.0b, PDB), *‘Sr/*6Sr ratios (0.70805 + 3), an...

The formation conditions, solubility and stability of monohydrocalcite (MHC, CaCO3·H2O), as well as sorption behaviors of toxic anions on MHC, are reviewed to evaluate MHC as a remediation material for hazardous oxyanions. MHC is a rare mineral in geological settings that occurs in recent sediments in saline lakes. Water temperature does not seem to be an important factor for MHC formation. The...

Future anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and the resulting ocean acidification may have severe consequences for marine calcifying organisms and ecosystems. Marine calcifiers depositing calcitic hard parts that contain significant concentrations of magnesium, i.e. Mg-calcite, and calcifying organisms living in high latitude and/or cold-water environments are at immediate risk to ocean acidification...

Echinoderms possess a rigid endoskeleton composed of calcite and small amounts of occluded organic matrix proteins. The test (i.e., the shell-like structure of adults), spines, pedicellariae, tube feet, and teeth of adults, as well as delicate endoskeletal spicules found in larvae of some classes, are the main skeletal structures. They have been intensively studied for insight into the mechanis...

Increasing environmental pollution in urban areas has been endangering the survival of carbonate stones in monuments and statuary for many decades. Numerous conservation treatments have been applied for the protection and consolidation of these works of art. Most of them, however, either release dangerous gases during curing or show very little efficacy. Bacterially induced carbonate mineraliza...

Coralline algae are a significant component of the benthic ecosystem. Their ability to withstand physical stresses in high energy environments relies on their skeletal structure which is composed of high Mg-calcite. High Mg-calcite is, however, the most soluble form of calcium carbonate and therefore potentially vulnerable to the change in carbonate chemistry resulting from the absorption of an...

Concrete, used in the construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs), may be exposed to radiation emanating from the reactor core. Until recently, concrete has been assumed immune to radiation exposure. Direct evidence acquired on Ar(+)-ion irradiated calcite and quartz indicates, on the contrary, that, such minerals, which constitute aggregates in concrete, may be significantly altered by irradia...

This article reports on studies of the chemical alterations induced by synchrotron radiation at the calcite-ethanol interface, a simple model system for interfaces between minerals and more complex organic molecules containing OH groups. A combination of X-ray reflectivity and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of natural calcite, cleaved in distilled ethanol to obtain new clean interfaces, indic...

Micro X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy at the Mg K-edge is a useful technique for acquiring information about the environment of Mg(2+) in biogenic calcite. These analyses can be applied to shell powders or intact shell structures. The advantage of the latter is that the XANES analyses can be applied to specific areas, at high (e.g. micrometre) spatial resolution, to determine the enviro...