TY - JOUR A1 - Getenet, M. A1 - Garcia-Ruiz, J. M. A1 - Otálora, F. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Verdugo-Escamilla, E. T1 - A comprehensive methodology for monitoring evaporitic mineral precipitation and hydrochemical evolution of saline lakes: The case of Lake Magadi soda brine (East African Rift Valley, Kenya) JF - Crystal growth and design N2 - Lake Magadi, East African Rift Valley, is a hyperalkaline and saline soda lake highly enriched in Na+, K+, CO32–, Cl–, HCO3–, and SiO2 and depleted in Ca2+ and Mg2+, where thick evaporite deposits and siliceous sediments have been forming for 100 000 years. The hydrogeochemistry and the evaporite deposits of soda lakes are subjects of growing interest in paleoclimatology, astrobiology, and planetary sciences. In Lake Magadi, different hydrates of sodium carbonate/bicarbonate and other saline minerals precipitate. The precipitation sequence of these minerals is a key for understanding the hydrochemical evolution, the paleoenvironmental conditions of ancient evaporite deposits, and industrial crystallization. However, accurate determination of the precipitation sequence of these minerals was challenging due to the dependency of the different hydrates on temperature, water activity, pH and pCO2, which could induce phase transformation and secondary mineral precipitation during sample handling. Here, we report a comprehensive methodology applied for monitoring the evaporitic mineral precipitation and hydrochemical evolution of Lake Magadi. Evaporation and mineral precipitations were monitored by using in situ video microscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction of acoustically levitated droplets. The mineral patterns were characterized by ex situ Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Experiments were coupled with thermodynamic models to understand the evaporation and precipitation-driven hydrochemical evolution of brines. Our results closely reproduced the mineral assemblages, patterns, and textural relations observed in the natural setting. Alkaline earth carbonates and fluorite were predicted to precipitate first followed by siliceous sediments. Among the salts, dendritic and acicular trona precipitate first via fractional crystallization─reminiscent of grasslike trona layers of Lake Magadi. Halite/villiaumite, thermonatrite, and sylvite precipitate sequentially after trona from residual brines depleted in HCO3–. The precipitation of these minerals between trona crystals resembles the precipitation process observed in the interstitial brines of the trona layers. Thermonatrite precipitation began after trona equilibrated with the residual brines due to the absence of excess CO2 input. We have shown that evaporation and mineral precipitation are the major drivers for the formation of hyperalkaline, saline, and SiO2-rich brines. The discrepancy between predicted and actual sulfate and phosphate ion concentrations implies the biological cycling of these ions. The combination of different in situ and ex situ methods and modeling is key to understanding the mineral phases, precipitation sequences, and textural relations of modern and ancient evaporite deposits. The synergy of these methods could be applicable in industrial crystallization and natural brines to reconstruct the hydrogeochemical and hydroclimatic conditions of soda lakes, evaporite settings, and potentially soda oceans of early Earth and extraterrestrial planets. KW - Crystallization KW - Precipitation KW - Crystals KW - Evaporation KW - Minerals PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546712 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.1c01391 SN - 1528-7483 VL - 22 IS - 4 SP - 2307 EP - 2317 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-54671 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Getenet, M. A1 - Otálora, F. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - García-Ruiz, J. M. T1 - Mineral precipitation and hydrochemical evolution through evaporitic processes in soda brines (East African Rift Valley) JF - Chemical geology N2 - Soda lakes of the East African Rift Valley are hyperalkaline, hypersaline lakes extremely enriched in Na+, K+, Cl−, CO32−, HCO3−, and SiO2. In this paper, we investigate the chemical evolution in these lakes and the production of chemical sediments by salt precipitation via evaporation. Water samples from tributary springs and three lakes (Magadi, Nasikie Engida and Natron) have been experimentally studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction during evaporation experiments to characterize the sequence of mineral precipitation. These data are complemented by ex-situ diffraction studies, chemical analyses and thermodynamic hydrochemical calculations producing detailed information on the activity of all solution species and the saturation state of all minerals potentially generated by the given composition. Major minerals precipitating from these samples are sodium carbonates/bicarbonates as well as halite. The CO3/HCO3 ratio, controlled by pH, is the main factor defining the Na‑carbonates precipitation sequence: in lake brines where CO3/HCO3 > 1, trona precipitates first whereas in hot springs, where CO3/HCO3 ≪ 1, nahcolite precipitates instead of trona, which forms later via partial dissolution of nahcolite. Precipitation of nahcolite is possible only at lower pH values (pCO2 higher than −2.7) explaining the distribution of trona and nahcolite in current lakes and the stratigraphic sequences. Later, during evaporation, thermonatrite precipitates, normally at the same time as halite, at a very high pH (>11.2) after significant depletion of HCO3− due to trona precipitation. The precipitation of these soluble minerals increases the pH of the brine and is the main factor contributing to the hyperalkaline and hypersaline character of the lakes. Villiaumite, sylvite, alkaline earth carbonates, fluorapatite and silica are also predicted to precipitate, but most of them have not been observed in evaporation experiments, either because of the small amount of precipitates produced, kinetic effects delaying the nucleation of some phases, or by biologically induced effects in the lake chemistry that are not considered in our calculations. Even in these cases, the chemical composition in the corresponding ions allows for discussion on their accumulation and the eventual precipitation of these phases. The coupling of in-situ and ex-situ experiments and geochemical modelling is key to understanding the hydrogeochemical and hydroclimatic conditions of soda lakes, evaporite settings, and potentially soda oceans of early Earth and other extraterrestrial bodies. KW - Crystallization sequence KW - Hydrochemical evolution KW - Alkaline brines KW - Sodium carbonate minerals KW - Soda lakes KW - Evaporite deposits PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568431 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.121222 SN - 0009-2541 VL - 616 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-56843 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -