A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars
In this study, the crystal habits of pyrite in the volcanic hot springs from Kamchatka, Russia were surveyed using scanning electron microscopy. Pyrite crystals occur either as single euhedral crystals or aggregates with a wide range of crystal sizes and morphological features. Single euhedral cryst...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2073-4352/10/6/535/ 2023-08-20T04:07:39+02:00 A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars Min Tang Yi-Liang Li 2020-06-23 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Mineralogical Crystallography and Biomineralization https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Crystals; Volume 10; Issue 6; Pages: 535 Kamchatka hot springs pyrite complexity of crystal habits Mars Text 2020 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 2023-07-31T23:40:41Z In this study, the crystal habits of pyrite in the volcanic hot springs from Kamchatka, Russia were surveyed using scanning electron microscopy. Pyrite crystals occur either as single euhedral crystals or aggregates with a wide range of crystal sizes and morphological features. Single euhedral crystals, with their sizes ranging from ~200 nm to ~40 µm, exhibit combinations of cubic {100}, octahedral {111}, and pyritohedral {210} and {310} forms. Heterogeneous geochemical microenvironments and the bacterial activities in the long-lived hot springs have mediated the development and good preservation of the complex pyrite crystal habits: irregular, spherulitic, cubic, or octahedral crystals congregating with clay minerals, and nanocrystals attaching to the surface of larger pyrite crystals and other minerals. Spherulitic pyrite crystals are commonly covered by organic matter-rich thin films. The coexistence of various sizes and morphological features of those pyrite crystals indicates the results of secular interactions between the continuous supply of energy and nutritional elements by the hot springs and the microbial communities. We suggest that, instead of a single mineral with unique crystal habits, the continuous deposition of the same mineral with a complex set of crystal habits results from the ever-changing physicochemical conditions with contributions from microbial mediation. Text Kamchatka MDPI Open Access Publishing Crystals 10 6 535 |
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English |
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Kamchatka hot springs pyrite complexity of crystal habits Mars |
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Kamchatka hot springs pyrite complexity of crystal habits Mars Min Tang Yi-Liang Li A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
topic_facet |
Kamchatka hot springs pyrite complexity of crystal habits Mars |
description |
In this study, the crystal habits of pyrite in the volcanic hot springs from Kamchatka, Russia were surveyed using scanning electron microscopy. Pyrite crystals occur either as single euhedral crystals or aggregates with a wide range of crystal sizes and morphological features. Single euhedral crystals, with their sizes ranging from ~200 nm to ~40 µm, exhibit combinations of cubic {100}, octahedral {111}, and pyritohedral {210} and {310} forms. Heterogeneous geochemical microenvironments and the bacterial activities in the long-lived hot springs have mediated the development and good preservation of the complex pyrite crystal habits: irregular, spherulitic, cubic, or octahedral crystals congregating with clay minerals, and nanocrystals attaching to the surface of larger pyrite crystals and other minerals. Spherulitic pyrite crystals are commonly covered by organic matter-rich thin films. The coexistence of various sizes and morphological features of those pyrite crystals indicates the results of secular interactions between the continuous supply of energy and nutritional elements by the hot springs and the microbial communities. We suggest that, instead of a single mineral with unique crystal habits, the continuous deposition of the same mineral with a complex set of crystal habits results from the ever-changing physicochemical conditions with contributions from microbial mediation. |
format |
Text |
author |
Min Tang Yi-Liang Li |
author_facet |
Min Tang Yi-Liang Li |
author_sort |
Min Tang |
title |
A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
title_short |
A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
title_full |
A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
title_fullStr |
A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Complex Assemblage of Crystal Habits of Pyrite in the Volcanic Hot Springs from Kamchatka, Russia: Implications for the Mineral Signature of Life on Mars |
title_sort |
complex assemblage of crystal habits of pyrite in the volcanic hot springs from kamchatka, russia: implications for the mineral signature of life on mars |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 |
genre |
Kamchatka |
genre_facet |
Kamchatka |
op_source |
Crystals; Volume 10; Issue 6; Pages: 535 |
op_relation |
Mineralogical Crystallography and Biomineralization https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060535 |
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535 |
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