In the Earth's crust, minerals undergo constant interaction with aqueous fluids, which often results in the dissolution of primary minerals and the subsequent nucleation and growth of new phases. These transformations can be complex from a mineralogical point of view and include amorphous precursors and metastable phases. Mineral-fluid interactions are particularly significant in low-temperature surface and subsurface environments, where they play a key role in sediment diagenesis, ore deposit weathering, and the formation of secondary metal-bearing accumulates, among other geological processes. Carbonates and sulfates rank as some of the most abundant and widely distributed rock-forming minerals in the lithosphere, after silicates. Furthermore, they are the primary components of the so-called "chemical sediments". Both mineral groups play a critical role in reconstructing the physicochemical evolution of the oceans, the geosphere and the atmosphere, offering valuable insights into the historical changes in global climate over the Earth's history.

The primary objective of this project is to enhance our understanding of the physico-chemical parameters that govern the nucleation, growth and replacement of sulfate and carbonate mineral phases in the sedimentary realm. To achieve this goal, we conduct experiments on the growth and replacement of sulfates and carbonates, both biogenic and abiogenic, using experimental conditions that mimic diagenesis.

Forjanes, P., Astilleros, J. M., Fernández-Díaz, L. (2024): The role of sulfate in the hydrothermal replacement of aragonite single crystals by calcite. - Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 639, 118771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118771

Forjanes, P., Pérez-Garrido, C., Álvarez-Lloret, P., Astilleros, J. M., & Fernández-Díaz, L. (2022). Formation of Strontianite and Witherite Cohesive Layers on Calcite Surfaces for Building Stone Conservation. Crystal Growth & Design, 22(11), 6418-6428. DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00383.

Forjanes, P., Simonet Roda, M., Greiner, M., Griesshaber, E., Lagos, N. A., Veintemillas-Verdaguer, S., Astilleros, J.M., Fernández-Diaz, L. & Schmahl, W. W. (2022). Experimental burial diagenesis of aragonitic biocarbonates: from organic matter loss to abiogenic calcite formation. Biogeosciences, 19(16), 3791-3823. DOI: 10.5194/bg-19-3791-2022.

Forjanes, P., Gómez-Barreiro, J., Morales, J., Astilleros, J. M., & Fernández-Díaz, L. (2020). Epitactic growth of celestite on anhydrite: substrate induced twinning and morphological evolution of aggregates. CrystEngComm, 22(35), 5743-5759. DOI: 10.1039/D0CE00755B.

Forjanes, P., Astilleros, J. M., & Fernández-Díaz, L. (2020). The formation of barite and celestite through the replacement of gypsum. Minerals, 10(2), 189. DOI: 10.3390/min10020189.