Abstract
THE mixing of two waters, both saturated with respect to calcite, but in equilibrium with vapour phases with different partial pressures of carbon dioxide, will cause dissolution of additional calcite1,2. This is the so-called “Mischungskorrosion” of Bögli1. The concept has been applied to the excavation of caves in limestone, although Thrailkill2 lists several reasons why it may be relatively ineffective in nature. The following discussion introduces and offers the broader hypothesis that the mixing of natural waters is, in fact, a general geochemical process, with interesting implications in the study of the origin and alteration of sediments. The hypothesis is based on the simple experimental fact that the solubility of most minerals is a non-linear function of added dissolved salts.
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RUNNELLS, D. Diagenesis due to Mixing of Natural Waters: a Hypothesis. Nature 224, 361–363 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/224361a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/224361a0
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