
University:
Jackson State University
Major:
Chemistry
Mentor(s):
Wren Greene
Faculty Sponsor(s):
Jacon Israelachvili
Faculty Sponsor's Department(s):
Chemical Engineering
Project Title:
THE DISSOLUTION OF QUARTZ BY MUSCOVITE MICA THE PHENOMENA OF PRESSURE SOLUTION:SFA TECHNIQUE
Project Description:
Pressure solution encompasses such phenomena as pitting and indentation at grain contacts,
stylolite formation, overgrowths, dissolution seams, cleavages, and deformation of
metamorphic rocks. Laboratory and Geological field studies find that the presence of clays,
particularly muscovite mica, enhances quartz dissolution when in contact. The mystery at hand
is how mica a soft rock, dissolves quartz, which is a hard rock. In the research presented here,
we directly investigate the dissolution of quartz in contact with mica. In calcium chloride
dissolution is observed even at relatively low pressures while in the absence of solution, no
dissolution is observed. Using the surface forces apparatus, we are able to directly observe
dissolution several nanometers of quartz over timescales of minutes to hours, allowing us to
follow the changing rate of dissolution with time. We will attempt to apply electric fields to the
surfaces to see the effect on the dissolution of quartz. We will also attempt to measure the
electric field when mica and quartz comes together.