Cycling of solution needed for dolomite crystals to grow
- November 26, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Cycling of solution needed for dolomite crystals to grow
Subject: Geography
Section: Socioeconomic geography
Context:
- A team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan have finally succeeded in growing a common mineral (dolomite) in the laboratory under the conditions believed to have formed it naturally, thanks to a new theory developed from atomic simulations.
Dolomite:
- Limestone with more than 10% of magnesium is called dolomite.
- Modern dolomite is primarily found in natural environments with pH or salinity fluctuations.
- This resource is distributed in the states of Madhya Pradesh(29%), Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
- Chhattisgarh is the largest dolomite-producing state of India, and it contributes more than 30% of the total production of the country
- The economic uses of Dolomite are chiefly Metallurgical; as refractories, as flux in blast furnaces.
Top Dolomite Suppliers (exporters) by country:
- China – 14.3% of the world exports ($)
- Belgium – 12% ($)
- Spain – 8.87% ($)
- Canada – 8.18% ($)
- Brazil – 8.15% ($)
Growing Dolomite in the lab:
- Dolomite is very abundant in rocks older than 100 million years, but nearly absent in younger formations.
- It is a key mineral in the Dolomite mountains in Italy, Niagara Falls, the White Cliffs of Dover and Utah’s Hoodoos.
- The secret to finally growing dolomite in the lab was removing defects in the mineral structure as it grows.
- When minerals form in water, atoms usually deposit neatly onto the edge of the growing crystal surface. However, the growth edge of dolomite consists of alternating rows of calcium and magnesium.
- In water, calcium and magnesium will randomly attach to the growing dolomite crystal, often lodging into the wrong spot and creating defects that prevent additional layers of dolomite from forming. These defects get dissolved when washed with water.
- Repeatedly rinsing away these defects- with rain or tidal cycles- allows a dolomite layer to form in only a matter of years. Over geologic time, mountains of dolomite can accumulate.
- To simulate dolomite growth accurately, the researchers needed to calculate how strongly or loosely atoms would attach to an existing dolomite surface. And scientists have calculated it with the help of precise software.
Source: The Hindu