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The sedimentary successions of the Permian-Triassic rifting related to the Alpine Tethys in the easternmost Lower Alpujarride units (Internal Betic Zone, south Spain) host shallow-intrusive basic bodies of Mesozoic age. These gabbroic bodies experienced low-grade Alpine metamorphic overprint, singularly recorded in three outcrops nearby Alicante city in southeast Spain: Callosa and Orihuela Ranges and Nueva Tabarca Island. Overall, the metabasic bodies still preserve magmatic ophitic/subophitic texture and relicts of magmatic augite and ferropargasite-ferroedenite-edenite and kaersutite. In contrast, metamorphic minerals include magnesioriebeckite, actinolite, albite, stilpnomelane, phengite, and chlorite. Major and trace element geochemical data suggest crystallization of the igneous protoliths from subalkaline (tholeiitic) to alkaline within-plate (continental) basaltic magmas slightly enriched in incompatible elements. These magmas with E-MORB geochemical affinity very likely intruded at shallow crustal levels in an extensional-synrift-geodynamic setting related to the breakoff of Pangea in the region. Pressure-Temperature (P-T) conditions estimated by average P-T method and pseudosection calculations suggest metamorphic peak at ca. 6 kbar at 340°C consistent with burial metamorphism down to ca. 18 km depth with intermediate thermal gradients of ca. 18°C/km. These conditions are different to the typical subduction-related blueschist facies conditions of the Lower Alpujarride units and suggest, instead, a collisional (Barrovian) event. This can be explained by a late-stage accretion of the studied units after the main subduction-related event, pointing to the dispersion of the corresponding Lower Alpujarride sections along the margin in different palaeogeographic positions before deformation and movement to their actual structural position. The metamorphic correlation of the studied units with the accreted passive margin of South Iberia (Subbetic zone) is also dis

Industrial solid waste by-products are being increasingly employed for geochemical carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies due to their fine grain size, accessibility, and large annual production tonnages. Here, a range of such by-products has been tested experimentally for their reactivities with CO and water. Sample solutions were monitored for 100 h for changes in chemistry, and solid samples were characterised pre- and post-experiment. Samples rich in Ca- and Mg-bearing minerals, such as dunite, kimberlite, and ilmenite mine tailings, as well as marble quarry cuttings, were key cation sources. Ni sulphide, fluorite and borax tailings, coal-fired power plant fly ashes, and red mud samples showed high dissolution rates. The highest reaction rates were often observed during the initial few hours, and compared well to rates determined for rocks typically targeted for CDR purposes, such as basalt and gabbro. Several samples also showed secondary carbonate precipitation, suggesting opportunities for the development of single-step CDR technologies. Overall, the results of this study indicate that several industrial by-products can provide sufficient cations at favourable dissolution rates for geochemical CDR purposes. Any on-site or near-site conditions for reaction acceleration such as heat, concentrated CO or microbes, could further increase favourability for geochemical CDR opportunities.

This paper analyses the mineralogical composition, texture, and structure of a stalactite sampled from the city-wall storerooms of the Nueva Tabarca fortress (southeast Spain). This speleothem presents an uncommon mineral assemblage: aragonite, brucite, gypsum, silica, and halite. Internally, it shows complex structure: (1) a central soda-straw composed by aragonite; (2) an external puff-pastry cone-crust formed preferentially by aragonite and brucite; and (3) an internal branching of coralloids, showing a subtle layering between brucite and aragonite. Gypsum, halite, and silica locate in the outer coating of the cone-crust. The sequent mineral precipitation sequence has been established: aragonite > brucite > gypsum/silica > halite. Speleothem formation is directly related to the chemical weathering of the rocks and mortars used as building materials of the city-wall. Brucite precipitates has been always linked to the presence of MgO-based geomaterials. However, the lack of these compounds as building materials in Nueva Tabarca fortress makes this investigation a unique example of brucite precipitation. PHREEQC calculations showed that interaction between pore waters and the minerals of mortar aggregates (dolomite, pyroxene, and amphibole) leads to rich-magnesium solutions. Evaporation modelling of lixiviated waters describes the precipitation of the mineral assemblage of the brucite-aragonite speleothems.

[EN] In this investigation, two different varieties of 'Prada' limestones were studied: a dark grey texture, bearing quartz, clay minerals, organic matter and pyrites, and a light grey texture with little or no presence of such components. We have observed two effects of different intensity when heating the dark texture from 400 degrees C: (1) the explosion of certain samples and (2) greater thermal damage than in the light grey texture. Chemical and mineralogical composition, texture, microstructure, and physical properties (i.e. colour, open porosity, P and S-wave velocity) have been evaluated at temperatures of 105, 300, 400, and 500 degrees C in order to identify differences between textures. The violence of the explosive events was clear and cannot be confounded with ordinary splitting and cracking on thermally treated rocks: exploded samples underwent a total loss of integrity, displacing and overturning the surrounding samples, and embedding fragments in the walls of the furnace, whose impacts were clearly heard in the laboratory. Thermogravimetric results allowed the identification of a process of oxidation of pyrites releasing SO2 from 400 degrees C. This process jointly with the presence of microfissures in the dark texture, would cause a dramatic increase in pore pressure, leading to a rapid growth and coalescence of microcracks that leads to a process of catastrophic decay in rock integrity. In addition to the explosive events, average ultrasound velocities and open porosity showed a greater variation in the dark grey texture from 400 degrees C. That result also points towards a significant contribution of oxidation of pyrites on the thermo-chemical damage of the rock, among other factors such as the pre-existence of microfissures and the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between minerals. Implications in underground infrastructure and mining engineering works are critical, as the explosive potential of pyrite-bearing limestones bears risk for mass