RATE CONTROL OF MINERAL DISSOLUTION UNDER EARTH SURFACE CONDITIONS.

Abstract

Dissolution of minerals by water is an important Earth surface geochemical process. Notable examples include weathering in soils and dissolution of planktonic tests in the deep sea. Although much work has been done in predicting, from thermodynamic calculations, whether or not dissolution can occur, little attempt has been made to elucidate how dissolution occurs under natural conditions. The purpose of this paper is to point out some of the factors that control the rate of dissolution of minerals and to give the reader a better idea of the applicability of chemical kinetics to the solution of geochemical problems.