Abstract
The sodium content of dolomite crystals from the Middle Devonian Pine Point lead-zinc district of northern Canada is related to the diagenetic history of the crystals. The sodium comes from three sources: (1) NaCl which was included from the dolomitizing brines during dolomite crystal growth; (2) Na occupying lattice sites in the dolomite crystal; and (3) Na bound to clay minerals inherited from the original CaCO 3 sediment. Zoned dolomite crystals show a pronounced zoning with regard to sodium, but a lesser degree of chlorine zoning. The amount of sodium in the dolomite lattice is related to the salinity of the dolomitizing brines and is higher for small “supratidal” dolomite crystals than for the coarser late diagenetic and hydrothermal dolomites. These data support isotopic and mineralogical observations regarding the genesis of dolomites and their environments of formation.
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