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The Great Barrier Reef Expedition 1928–29: The crystal structure and occurrence of weddellite, ideally CaC2O4·2.5H2O, from the Low Isles, Queensland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Stuart J. Mills*
Affiliation:
Geosciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
Andrew G. Christy
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
*

Abstract

“Envelope crystals” collected during The Great Barrier Reef Expedition in May 1929 have been studied using low-temperature synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystals are shown to be weddellite, with the largest content of zeolitic water reported to date. A new H2O site has been located within the crystal structure. Study of the crystals show that the end-member formula for weddellite should be reported as CaC2O4·(2.5 – x)H2O, where 0≤x≤ 0.25, instead of CaC2O4·(2H2O or CaC2O4·(2 + x )H2O. This is also the first report of weddellite occurring in a coral reef.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2016

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