Calcium Carbonate Growth with the Ring Structure of Stalactite-Type Minerals in a Tuff Breccia

Abstract

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has attracted worldwide attention as an environmentally friendly ground restoration technology in response to geohazards. This study describes the relationship between calcium carbonate growth within stalactite-type minerals formed around fractures in tuff breccia and microorganisms. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that calcium carbonate was precipitated in the interstices of rings formed in stalactite-type minerals, as if the carbonate minerals enhanced the strength of the silicate minerals. In addition, X-ray powder diffraction analysis detected that the calcium carbonates were calcite and vaterite. Moreover, microorganisms, such as diatoms and green algae, inhabited the interstices and, consequently, MICP by these microorganisms could play a role in the stability of outcrops. The stable isotope ratios of δ13C and δ15N and the mass spectral signals of the demineralized samples also encouraged diatoms and green algae to be involved in the formation of minerals.