Lamination during silica diagenesis - effects of clay content and Ostwald ripening

Abstract

As a result of silica diagenesis, silica-rich formations (the Monterey Formation in California) become highly laminated. Mathematical models are developed to describe the diagenetic sequence opal-A to opal-CT (and by extension to quartz) via a dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism. The models account for dissolution, nucleation, and precipitation of the various amorphous and crystalline phases. We explore possible self-organization mechanisms that may lead to rock lamination, including clay effects and particle coarsening. -from Authors