Analysis of "standard" (Lipica) limestone tablets and their weathering by carbonate staining and SEM imaging, a case study on the Vis Island, Croatia

Abstract

This paper focuses on the evolution and patterns of microscale weathering forms and dissolution rates of "standard" (Lipica) limestone tablets. Analysis of carbonate weathering using combination of methods (quantitative analysis by the weight loss of standard tablets, and qualitative analysis of the weathered surfaces by stained acetate peels and SEM imaging) showed that dissolution takes place not only at the surface of limestone tablets, but also along voids and cavities in limestone tablets which makes total weathering surface larger than the area of the tablet surface. Dissolution is more pronounced on the mi-critic calcite surfaces (due to different dissolution kinetics of carbonate minerals), resulting in lowering of the surface (cal-cite matrix) which causes gradual uniburial and removal of au-thigenic dolomite grains.