mineral dissolution
Stone slowly dissolving
Mineral dissolution is the process by which solid minerals break down and disperse into a liquid, typically water.
Rock and soil minerals dissolve when water chemically reacts with their surfaces, releasing ions into solution.
The process shapes landscapes through weathering and cave formation, and affects water chemistry: Limestone dissolution creates karst topography.
In geology and environmental science, dissolution rates matter for understanding groundwater composition and contaminant transport.
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- leachingDissolving out by liquid
- acidic waterWater below pH seven
- geochemistryEarth's chemical makeup science
- limestone cavesSubterranean voids in calcium carbonate
cave formations · hydrolysis · chelation · carbonation · erosion · acid rain · solubility · redox reactions · water contamination · sinkhole · pH imbalance · oxidation · stalactite · chemical · cave · porous · saturated · underground
mineral dissolutionprecipitation
Atmospheric water deposit
crystallization · recrystallization · mineralization · crystal growth · cementation