Tufa


 

Tufa is the name for an unusual geological formation.

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Tufa is a rough, thick, rock-like calcium carbonate deposit that forms by precipitation from bodies of water with a high dissolved calcium content. Tufa deposition occurs in six known ways:

Related Topics:
Calcium carbonate - Precipitation - Calcium

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  • Mechanical precipitation by wave action against the shore. This form of tufa can be useful for identifying the shoreline of extinct lakes (for example in the Lake Lahontan region).
  • Precipitation from supersaturated hot spring water entering cooler lake water.
  • Precipitation in lake bottom sediments which are fed by hot springs from below.
  • Precipitation from calcium-bearing spring water in an alkaline lake rich in carbonates.
  • Precipitation throughout the lake as the lake dries out.
  • Through the agency of algae.
  • There are some prominent towers of Tufa at Mono Lake and Trona Pinnacles in California, USA, formed by method 4, above. Tufa is also common in Armenia.

    Related Topics:
    Mono Lake - Trona Pinnacles - California - USA - Armenia

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