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Leonite [K2Mg(SO4)2·4H2O], konyaite [Na2Mg(SO4)2·5H2O] and syngenite [K2Ca(SO4)2·H2O] fromTausoare Cave, Rodnei Mts, Romania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

B. P. Onac ,
W. B. White  and
I. Viehmann
B. P. Onac*
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy, ‘Babes-Bolyai’ University, Kogalniceanu 1, 3400 Cluj and Speleogical Institute ‘Emil Racovita’, Clinicilor 5, 3400 Cluj, Romania Speleogical Institute ‘Emil Racovita’, Clinicilor 5, 3400 Cluj, Romania
W. B. White
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
I. Viehmann
Affiliation:
Speleogical Institute ‘Emil Racovita’, Clinicilor 5, 3400 Cluj, Romania
*
*E-mail: bonac@bioge.ubbcluj.ro
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Abstract

Tausoare Cave is renowned in Romania for its gypsum and mirabilite speleothems. Of interest are the white crystalline speleothems formed on the floor of the ‘Sala de Mese’ (Dining Room) that were previously described as consisting of mirabilite. The samples we collected reveal crystals of two different habits. One shows the characteristic mirabilite fibrous crystals (cotton-like speleothem) while the other formed bladed and short prismatic crystals which comprise the delicate ‘cave flowers’. The mineral association was characterized by means of X-ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe. Beside thenardite (dehydration product of mirabilite) we also identified three sulphate minerals: leonite [K2Mg(SO4)2·4H2O], syngenite [K2Ca(SO4)2·H2O] and konyaite [Na2Mg(SO4)2·5H2O]. Of these, leonite and konyaite have never been reported in a cave environment. This paper describes the mineralogy of this particular sulphate deposit and offers some viewpoints on the crystallogenesis.

Keywords

leonitekonyaitesyngenitecave mineralsTausoare CaveRomania
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 65 , Issue 1 , February 2001 , pp. 103 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2001

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