ragonite

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Aragonite

Aragonite from Molina de Aragòn, Spain

General
Category Carbonate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit) CaCO3
IMA symbol Arg[1]
Crystal system Orthorhombic
Unit cell l a = 4.9598(5) Å, b = 7.9641(9) Å, and c = 5.7379(6) Å at 25 °C [2]
Identification
Color Can come in a variety of colors, but commonly red or white
Crystal habit Commonly dendritic or pseudo-hexagonal; can also be acicular,
tabular, prismatic, coral-like
Twinning Cyclic on {110}, forms pseudohexagonal aggregates. If polysynthetic,
forms fine striations parallel to [110].
Cleavage Good on [110], Poor on {110}.
Fracture Subconchoidal
Tenacity Very brittle
Mohs scale hardness 3.5–4
Luster Vitreous, waxy, resinous
Streak White
Diaphaneity Transparent to opaque
Specific gravity 2.94
Optical properties Biaxial (-)
Refractive index nω = 1.550 nε = 1.650
Birefringence δ = 0.155
2V angle Measured 18–19°
Dispersion Weak
Extinction Parallel
Ultraviolet fluorescence Faint white-blue to blue-violet
Solubility Soluble in acids, and saltwater (but takes longer)
Common impurities Commonly strontium, zirconium, lead
Other characteristics Thermodynamically unstable, Morphs slowly back into calcite
References [3][4]
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral and one of the three most common naturally
occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), the others being calcite and
vaterite. It is formed by biological and physical processes, including
precipitation from marine and freshwater environments.

Aragonite Crystal Structure

The crystal lattice of aragonite differs from that of calcite, resulting in a
different crystal shape, an orthorhombic crystal system with acicular crystal.[5]
Repeated twinning results in pseudo-hexagonal forms. Aragonite may be columnar or
fibrous, occasionally in branching helictitic forms called flos-ferri ("flowers of
iron") from their association with the ores at the Carinthian iron mines.[6]

Occurrence
The type location for aragonite is Molina de Aragón in the Province of Guadalajara
in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, for which it was named in 1797.[7] Aragonite is found
in this locality as cyclic twins inside gypsum and marls of the Keuper facies of
the Triassic.[8] This type of aragonite deposit is very common in Spain, and there
are also some in France.[6]

An aragonite cave, the Ochtinská Aragonite Cave, is situated in Slovakia.[9]

In the US, aragonite in the form of stalactites and "cave flowers" (anthodite) is
known from Carlsbad Caverns and other caves.[10] For a few years in the early
1900s, aragonite was mined at Aragonite, Utah (now a ghost town).[11]

Massive deposits of oolitic aragonite sand are found on the seabed in the Bahamas.
[12]

Aragonite is the high pressure polymorph of calcium carbonate. As such, it occurs

in high pressure metamorphic rocks such as those formed at subduction zones.[13]

Aragonite forms naturally in almost all mollusk shells, and as the calcareous
endoskeleton of warm- and cold-water corals (Scleractinia). Several serpulids have
aragonitic tubes.[14] Because the mineral deposition in mollusk shells is strongly
biologically controlled,[15] some crystal forms are distinctively different from
those of inorganic aragonite.[16] In some mollusks, the entire shell is aragonite;
[17] in others, aragonite forms only discrete parts of a bimineralic shell
(aragonite plus calcite).[15] The nacreous layer of the aragonite fossil shells of
some extinct ammonites forms an iridescent material called ammolite.[18]

Aragonite also forms naturally in the endocarp of Celtis occidentalis.[19]

Aragonite also forms in the ocean inorganic precipitates called marine cements (in
the sediment) or as free crystals (in the water column).[20][21] Inorganic
precipitation of aragonite in caves can occur in the form of speleothems.[22]
Aragonite is common in serpentinites where magnesium-rich pore solutions apparently
inhibit calcite growth and promote aragonite precipitation.[23]

Aragonite is metastable at the low pressures near the Earth's surface and is thus
commonly replaced by calcite in fossils. Aragonite older than the Carboniferous is
essentially unknown.[24] It can also be synthesized by adding a calcium chloride
solution to a sodium carbonate solution at temperatures above 60 °C (140 °F) or in
water-ethanol mixtures at ambient temperatures.[25]

Physical properties
Aragonite is not the thermodynamically stable phase of calcium carbonate at any
pressure below about 3,000 bars (300,000 kPa) at any temperature.[26] Aragonite
nonetheless frequently forms in near-surface environments at ambient temperatures.
The weak Van der Waals forces inside aragonite give an important contribution to
both the crystallographic and elastic properties of this mineral.[27] The
difference in stability between aragonite and calcite, as measured by the Gibbs
free energy of formation, is small, and effects of grain size and impurities can be
important. The formation of aragonite at temperatures and pressures where calcite
should be the stable polymorph may be an example of Ostwald's step rule, where a
less stable phase is the first to form.[28] The presence of magnesium ions may
inhibit calcite formation in favor of aragonite.[29] Once formed, aragonite tends
to alter to calcite on scales of 107 to 108 years.[30] Comparing to the calcite,
aragonite

The mineral vaterite, also known as μ-CaCO3, is another phase of calcium carbonate
that is metastable at ambient conditions typical of Earth's surface, and decomposes
even more readily than aragonite.[31][32]
Uses
In aquaria, aragonite is considered essential for the replication of reef
conditions. Aragonite provides the materials necessary for much sea life and also
keeps the pH of the water close to its natural level, to prevent the dissolution of
biogenic calcium carbonate.[33]

Aragonite has been successfully tested for the removal of pollutants like zinc,
cobalt and lead from contaminated wastewaters.[34]

Claims that magnetic water treatment can reduce scaling, by converting calcite to
aragonite, have been met with skepticism,[35] but continue to be investigated.[36]
[37]

Gallery
Aragonite crystal from Los Molinillos, Ceunca, Spain
Aragonite crystal from Los Molinillos, Ceunca, Spain

Aragonite crystals from Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Aragonite crystals from Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Aragonite crystal cluster from Spain

Aragonite crystal cluster from Spain

Remnant biogenic aragonite (thin, rainbow-colored shell) on the ammonite Baculites

(Pierre Shale, Late Cretaceous, South Dakota)
Remnant biogenic aragonite (thin, rainbow-colored shell) on the ammonite Baculites
(Pierre Shale, Late Cretaceous, South Dakota)

Scanning electron microscope image of aragonite layers in the nacre of a blue

mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Scanning electron microscope image of aragonite layers in the nacre of a blue
mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Fluorescence of aragonite
Fluorescence of aragonite

See also
Aragonite sea
Ikaite, CaCO3·6H2O
List of minerals
Monohydrocalcite, CaCO3·H2O
Nacre, otherwise known as "Mother-of-Pearl"
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External links
The Ochtinska Aragonite Cave in Slovakia
Kosovo Caves Aragonite Formations