Nerja Cave discovery provides clues to dolomite formation

Researchers from the University of Granada, the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences, and the University of Málaga have identified mineral phases that serve as a precursor to the formation of dolomite and magnesite in natural environments. This discovery was made within the “moonmilk” deposits of the Nerja Cave in Spain.

For years, the “Dolomite Problem” has challenged the scientific community due to the difficulty of replicating low-temperature natural formation processes in a laboratory. By using advanced microscopy and experiments at the ALBA synchrotron in Spain and the SOLEIL synchrotron in France, the team observed amorphous magnesium carbonate and calcium-magnesium carbonate compounds. These substances lack a crystalline structure but act as intermediate phases that eventually evolve into dolomite and magnesite under natural conditions.