**5. Summary**

Sulphates are common minerals; they are easy crystallized, alternated and recrystallized.

Distinct variation of isotope ratios of sulphur, oxygen and strontium in the sea water sulphates in time enables their use to determine:


The liquid inclusions analysis in the primary evaporites enables determination of chemical composition of primary solutions/brines from which the sulphates crystallized, as well as the temperature of water.

The analysis of the primary minerals remains constituting the impurities in the secondary crystals enables determination of the diagenetic processes taking place in the evaporite deposits (including the mineral precursor for the secondary crystal), and the direction and cause of diagenetic transformations (e.g. anhydrite gypsification: primary mineral – anhydrite, cause – presence of fresh or low-mineralized water in the deposit, e.g. as a result of tectonic uplift and exposition to the activity of shallow underground water).

The crystal shape, form and texture of gypsum and anhydrite sediments indicate the environmental conditions of their formation such as: basin bathymetry (shallow or deep zones of the basin), water oxygenation, either stability or dynamics of the environment (e.g. turbidity currents, sea-level fluctuations – in case of high variability and low thickness of separate sulphate lithotypes in the profile).

Trace elements analysis in sulphates:

1. Sr, B contents: constant increase of their contents in the profile indicate stable evaporation conditions; their variations episodes connected with the fresh water inflows to the evaporite basin and its dilution;

2. Mn and Fe contents: elevated concentrations of both elements indicate the supply of terrigenic sediments to the basin.

#### **6. References**

486 Advances in Crystallization Processes

of the subgrain becomes slightly misoriented relating to the axes of the adjacent subgrains or the main grain/crystal; the misorientation angle usually reaches max. 5º (FitzGerald et al., 1983; White & Mawer, 1988 fide Passchier & Trouw, 1998). During the rotation recrystallization the mylonitic and porphyroblastic/porphyroclastic rocks are formed.

Another (however not so common) mechanism of subgrain development can be observed in the rocks of the gypsum cap-rock - the process is called kinking and leads to formation of 'kink bands' (Means & Ree, 1988 fide Passchier & Trouw, 1998), which are represented by narrow accumulation of kink folds; see fig. 25. They are formed in brittle-ductile system and correspond to the initial shearing along the planes oblique to the dense anisotropic planes (sedimentary, metamorphic, lattice anisotropy) under the influence of parallel (to those planes) or close to parallel compression at rather high surrounding pressure (Dadlez & Jaroszewski, 1994). This process has been observed in few mm to few cm lenticular, cigar-

Sulphates are common minerals; they are easy crystallized, alternated and recrystallized.

Distinct variation of isotope ratios of sulphur, oxygen and strontium in the sea water


The liquid inclusions analysis in the primary evaporites enables determination of chemical composition of primary solutions/brines from which the sulphates crystallized, as well as

The analysis of the primary minerals remains constituting the impurities in the secondary crystals enables determination of the diagenetic processes taking place in the evaporite deposits (including the mineral precursor for the secondary crystal), and the direction and cause of diagenetic transformations (e.g. anhydrite gypsification: primary mineral – anhydrite, cause – presence of fresh or low-mineralized water in the deposit, e.g. as a result

The crystal shape, form and texture of gypsum and anhydrite sediments indicate the environmental conditions of their formation such as: basin bathymetry (shallow or deep zones of the basin), water oxygenation, either stability or dynamics of the environment (e.g. turbidity currents, sea-level fluctuations – in case of high variability and low thickness of

1. Sr, B contents: constant increase of their contents in the profile indicate stable evaporation conditions; their variations episodes connected with the fresh water

particles accretion or isotopic composition exchange of water in gypsum.

of tectonic uplift and exposition to the activity of shallow underground water).

shaped gypsum crystals; see fig. 26. and 27.

sulphates in time enables their use to determine:

separate sulphate lithotypes in the profile).

inflows to the evaporite basin and its dilution;

Trace elements analysis in sulphates:


the temperature of water.

**5. Summary** 


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**Section 5** 

**General Issues in Crystallization** 

