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CSIC congratulates the new year with an image of biomorphs from our laboratory
Thank you ERC
The ERC projects – the acronym for the European Research Council – have earned an excellent reputation in Europe and beyond. They are difficult projects to obtain, but once you get one, you can see that they are tailored for the scientists who are going to carry them out. It is clear that ERC officials are there to help, to facilitate your research within a strict monitoring of legality. From evaluation to project implementation, it…
Read MoreSign the petition to support ERC
One of the greatest European success stories in the last decade is the European Research Council (ERC)<https://erc.europa.eu/>. Thanks to its focus on excellent science and bold ideas, and its independence from political intervention, ERC grants have become one of the most prestigious research grants in the world. Considering the current European debate on the next long-term EU budget, there is significant reason to fear a budget cut for research, which is likely to affect the…
Read MoreField trip to Ronda peridotites (Malaga, Spain)
A second field trip to the Ronda peridotites was carried out on the 2-5th May 2016 in order to investigate in more details the geochemistry of the alkaline waters and the occurring mineralization. We collected several water and solid samples to examine the chemical profiles of river and hyperalkaline spring waters, as well as the phases and textures of the present carbonate minerals. Finally, we conducted an additional field trip to the alkaline springs in…
Read MoreOn the controls of mineral assemblages and textures in alkaline springs, Samail Ophiolite, Oman
Giampouras, M., Garrido, C. J., Bach, W., Los, C., Fussmann, D., Monien, P., & García-Ruiz, J. M. (2020). On the controls of mineral assemblages and textures in alkaline springs, Samail Ophiolite, Oman. Chemical Geology, 533, 119435. Download here: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0009254119305649?token=FACA37743A2F972AE2B911F77A8DCCDEACF06A0C63789FD0DBD05292BFA1840E2464C5ECD037CC97ADD42D8E8A33CEDC Interactions between meteoric water and ultramafic rocks in the Oman Ophiolite generate waters of variable physicochemical characteristics. The discharge of these waters forms complex alkaline pool networks, in which mineral precipitation is triggered by mixing, evaporation, and uptake…
Read MoreGeochemistry and mineralogy of serpentinization-driven hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites
Giampouras, M., Garrido, C. J., Zwicker, J., Vadillo, I., Smrzka, D., Bach, W., … & García-Ruiz, J. M. (2019). Geochemistry and mineralogy of serpentinization-driven hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites. Lithos, 350, 105215. Download here: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0024493719303743?token=F0784FC81F5A036EDA8C552FF36661EC672B7D471A5884AAF2A4DC869AEB9BAD907638B73D29C64A5FA0E30461D5CCD4 We present a detailed study of the water geochemistry, mineralogy and textures in serpentinization-related hyperalkaline springs in the Ronda peridotites. Ronda waters can be classified into hyperalkaline fluids and river waters that are broadly similar to Ca2+–OH– and Mg2+–HCO3– water types described in…
Read MoreField trips to Rift Valley (Kenya)
We conducted the first trip to the alkaline lakes of the Rift Valley in Kenya from 8 to 23 of March 2016. The first day upon arrival we had scheduled several meetings with the authorities of Kenyan Wildlife Services and National Museums of Kenya to have permissions to do the exploration. During this trip of ten days we started exploring all the springs feeding the lake Magadi and Little Magadi. We collected samples of water,…
Read MoreField trip to Dallol (Ethiopia)
We have returned to Dallol (from 4 to 20 of February 2019) to continue our research on the origin of the Mount Dallol and the hydrothermal system that it is developing there. Our field studies so far indicate that Dallol is a salt volcano, the first to be reported. We have also studied the geology of the area and discovered at least a new volcano, a stratovolcano. We have collected numerous salt rocks with different…
Read MoreNew publication on ”Mineral self-organization on a lifeless planet”
We are pleased to announce that our new review article entitled ”Mineral self-organization on a lifeless planet” is now available on line: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2020.01.001 García-Ruiz, J. M., van Zuilen, M., & Bach, W. (2020). Mineral self-organization on a lifeless planet. Physics of Life Reviews. It has been experimentally demonstrated that, under alkaline conditions, silica is able to induce the formation of mineral self-assembled inorganic-inorganic composite materials similar in morphology, texture and nanostructure to the hybrid biomineral structures…
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