Abstract
The formation of biogenic silica quartz in the steady-state environment is a widespread phenomenon that is prerequisite for understanding biomineralization, diagenetic evolution, biogeochemical cycling, and reservoir formation, yet the mechanism is not fully understood. Here, the formation mechanism of silica quartz originated from diatom algae is investigated under low temperature/pressure conditions focusing on angstrom-scale pores. There exist 2 Å pores in amorphous silica acting as pathways of water diffusion with an activation energy of 2.3 eV. Water molecules react with highly reactive pore surfaces involving an energy cost of 1.9 eV, which triggers off the quartz formation. We show that the mechanistic theory of nucleation taking account of diffusion and reactions of water molecules in the angstrom-scale pores explains the long-term formation of biogenic silica quartz.
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