Table 2 Mineralogy of selected spring-limestone deposits. Mineralogy was determined only in cases of suspect for magnesian calcite or aragonite,
such as in case of fibrous CaCO3. For deposits that obviously consisted of low-magnesian calcite, a few check samples were investigated by XRD
(not shown here). The calculated mole percentage of MgCO3 in calcite is indicated as ('X mol%') in parentheses.
Method:
X-ray powder diffractometry for identification of carbonate polymorphs and determination of magnesium content of calcite was done on a BrukerAXS D8 diffractometer with Bragg-Brentano geometry, CuK radiation, at 40kV and 40mA acceleration voltage, with parallel-beam optics and an
energy-dispersive detector. The data was collected between 2 and 70° 2θ, with a step size of 0,02° 2θ, and a detecting time of four seconds per step.
Crystalline phase identification was done with the program Eva.Ink and the PDF4 data base 8.0.113 of ICDD. Chunks of actively-forming spring
limestones were sampled for XRD measurement at two different positions (two XRD measurements per sample of active limestone). Quantitative
phase composition, including relative percentage aragonite/magnesian calcite/calcite, was done by Rietveld-refinement using Bruker-AXS software
TOPAS 2-1; the relative standard deviation for this calculation is five wt%. For determination of Mg content in calcite, crystallographic data (cell
volume, lattice constant a and c, d-value of [104]-reflection) were extraced by Rietveld-refinement using TOPAS 2.1 and the initial structure model
ICSD 20179 (Borodin et al. 1979). The calculation of mol% MgCO3 followed the calibration by Goldsmith et al. (1961).
References:
Borodin VL, Lyutin VI, Ilyukhin VV, Belov NV (1979) Isomorphic series of calcite-otavite. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 245(5):1099-1101
Goldsmith JR, Graf DL, Eard HC (1961) Lattice constants of the calcium-magnesium carbonates. American Mineralogist 46:453-457
Geographic location,
federal country of
Austria (A), or other state
Name of deposit;
activity status; U/Th age
(where available)
Sample
AIT 2
Ainet, Eastern Tyrol (A)
Ainet; fossil deposit
AIT 7, bulk sample of
laminated springstone
AIT 8
Mineralogy in XRD
(relative percentage of
minerals or carbonate
polymorphs)
Magnesian calcite (5
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (5.6
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (5.4
Remarks
Three laminae of laminated
springstone
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
Bulk sample
U/Th ages (Boch et al.,
2005):
13.440  0.16 ka
13.490  0.17 ka
13.960  0.11 ka
13.700  0.13 ka
Fimber valley, Tyrol (A)
AIT 9A
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (5.5
mol%), aragonite
AIT 9B_1
Calcite (3.6 mol%),
aragonite
AIT 9B_2
Calcite (3.3 mol%),
aragonite
Schwarze Wand; fossil
deposit
SWAN 1
SWAN 6
Calcite (1.3 mol%)
Calcite (1.2 mol %)
Tote Kuh; fossil deposit
TKU/A
Magnesian calcite (4.2
mol%)
TKU/B
TKU/D
TKU 2
Calcite (0.5 mol%)
Calcite (0.7 mol%)
Calcite (0.8 mol%)
FLA 6
Magnesian calcite (6.9
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (11.2
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (9.7
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (8.1
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (8.3
mol%)
FLA 13
FLA 14
FLA 17
FLA 19
Sample of 2-mm thick
cement fringe in megapore
within laminated
springstone
Selective sample of lightcoloured laminae of
laminated springstone
Selective sample of lightcoloured laminae of
laminated springstone
Bulk sample of tufa
Bulk sample of tufa
Sample of laminated
cement fringe within
phytoclastic tufa
Bulk sample of tufa
Bulk sample of tufa
Sample of laminated
cement fringe within
phytoclastic tufa
Bulk sample of intraclastic
tufa
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample of moss tufa
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Flath-Alm, Tyrol (A)
Flath-Alm; fossil deposit
FLA 20
U/Th age:
8.9 ± 0.3 ka
(Ostermann, 2006)
FLA 22
FLA 25
FLA 27_1
FLA 27_2
FLA 30
FLA 33_1
ABR 4
Magnesian calcite (6.5
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (5.7
mol%), aragonite
Calcite (3.8 mol%)
ABR 5, bulk sample
Calcite (2.6 mol%)
LAA 1
Magnesian calcite (4.3
mol%)
LAA 2
Magnesian calcite (4.4
mol%)
GSAL 4
Magnesian calcite (4.4
FLA 33_2
Alter Bruch (part of active
system at Laas); active
deposit
Magnesian calcite (7.6
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (8.6
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (8.3
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (6.9
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (8.2
mol%), aragonite
Magnesian calcite (5.7
mol%), aragonite
Laas, Southern Tyrol, Italy
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample drilled from
petrified wood
Bulk sample of laminated
cementstone formed within
megapore in tufa limestone
Bulk sample of moss tufa
Bulk sample of moss tufa
Sample of dense, indurated
springstone of fibrous
calcite
Bulk sample of tufa formed
in association with
cyanobacteria
Fibrous magnesian calcite
precipitated on
experimental substrate
(rinse fleece)
Fibrous magnesian calcite
precipitated on
experimental substrate
(rinse fleece)
GSAL 5
GSAL 6
Gsalerweg; fossil deposit
GSAL 7
U/Th age:
13.4 ± 0.2 ka
(Ostermann, 2006)
GSAL 8
GSAL 9
ÜBH 4
Überhang (part of active
system at Laas); active
deposit
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (5.0
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (4.5
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (4.4
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (4.7
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (5.4
mol%)
Magnesian calcite (4.1
mol%)
ÜBH 5, bulk sample
Calcite/Magnesian calcite
(4.0 mol%)
ÜBH 6, bulk sample
Calcite (1.5 mol%)
ÜBH 6, outer fringe
Calcite (3.4 mol%)
ÜBH 7
Calcite (3.0 mol%)
ÜBH 8_1
Calcite (3.5 mol%),
haematite
Calcite (2.9 mol%)
ÜBH 8_2
Bulk samples of tufa
limestones including
phytoclastic tufa and moss
tufa
Bulk sample of about 3
laminae of laminated
waterfall tufa
Bulk sample of laminated
waterfall tufa, drilled
across ~ 15 laminae
From brownish, iron-oxide
rich, non-laminated inner
part of sample of laminated
waterfall tufa
From light-coloured, nonlaminated, 1.5cm thick
outer tufa fringe of sample
of laminated waterfall tufa
3 mm thick lamina of
waterfall tufa with
endolithic Gloeocapsa
Bulk sample of moss tufa
Bulk sample of top of
light-coloured carbonate
LDQ 5
Spring number 1; active
deposit
Landeck, Tyrol (A)
LDQ 6
LDQ 7
LDQ 1, petrified wood
Aragonite ≈ 81 wt%
Calcite ≈ 19 wt%
Aragonite ≈ 73 wt%
Calcite ≈ 27 wt%
Aragonite ≈ 76 wt%
Calcite ≈ 24 wt%
Calcite (0.4 mol%)
Landeck; fossil part of
deposit
LDQ 2, bulk sample of tufa Magnesian calcite (13.2
mol%), aragonite
Blasigleralm; fossil deposit
BLS 3
Calcite (1.2 mol%)
Stoffenalm; fossil deposit
STL 1
Calcite (1.1 mol%)
OBL 4_1, bulk sample of
laminated springstone
OBL 4_2
Calcite (0.0 mol%)
OBL 11 B, bulk sample of
laminated springstone
OBL 12, bulk sample of
laminated springstone
OBL 7
Calcite (1.4 mol%)
Navis valley, Tyrol (A)
Calcite (0.0 mol%)
Fossil spring-associated
limestones
Obladis, Tyrol (A)
Active limestone-
Calcite (0.0 mol%)
Calcite (1.5 mol%)
crust forming close-up with
the green tips of moss
plants in a moss tuft
Sample of crust on peg of
Picea abies
Sample of crust on peg of
Picea abies
Sample of crust on peg of
Picea abies
X-ray sample drilled
directly out of petrified
wood
Bulk sample of tufalimestone matrix of
petrified wood
Bulk of ~ 25 laminae of
laminated springstone of
fibrous calcite
Bulk of ~ 25 laminae of
laminated springstone of
fibrous calcite
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
Sample of single, whitecoloured lamina in
laminated springstone
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
Bulk of ~ 15 laminae of
laminated springstone
depositing spring
Feistritz an der Gail,
Carinthia (A)
Trebesing, Styria (A)
Sankt Magdalena; fossil
deposit
OBL 7A
Calcite (1.5 mol%)
SMA 5, bulk sample
Calcite (1.9 mol%)
SMA 6B, bulk sample
Calcite (2.1 mol%)
SMA 7_1, bulk sample
from only faintly laminated
portion
SMA 7_2, selective sample
of light-coloured laminae
TRE 1
Calcite (2.6 mol%)
TRE 4A, bulk sample
Calcite (1.5 mol%)
TRE 4A, petrified wood
Calcite (1.2 mol%)
Calcite (2.3 mol%)
Calcite (2.2 mol%)
Limestone of 'old' mineral
spring; fossil deposit
Sample of iron-oxide rich
(reddish) portion of sample
OBL 7
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
Bulk of ~ 20 laminae of
laminated springstone
faintly laminated tufa
Four laminae of laminated
tufa
Bulk sample of laminated
springstone, drilled across
~ 10 laminae
Bulk sample of petrified
wood
Sample of marginal fringe
of petrified wood