Mineral precipitation

Mineral precipitation is the formation of solid mineral phases from a solution when dissolved components become sufficiently concentrated or conditions otherwise favor crystallization.

Supersaturation: A state in which a solution contains more dissolved solute than its equilibrium solubility permits. Precipitation becomes thermodynamically favorable when a mineral-forming solution is supersaturated.
Aqueous solution: A homogeneous mixture in which water is the solvent and other substances are dissolved. Mineral precipitation commonly begins with ions dissolved in water.
Evaporite: A sedimentary rock formed when evaporation concentrates dissolved salts until they precipitate. Evaporites are a major geological product of mineral precipitation from shrinking water bodies.
Mineral dissolution: The transfer of mineral components into solution through chemical reactions with a fluid. Dissolution reverses precipitation when solution conditions favor the dissolved state.
Ostwald ripening: The growth of larger particles at the expense of smaller ones because smaller particles are less stable. It changes precipitate size distributions after initial formation, complicating predictions of particle persistence.
Nucleation: The initial formation of a stable, microscopic cluster from which a new phase can grow. It is the first step that creates a solid mineral phase.
Chemical equilibrium: A state in which forward and reverse chemical processes occur at equal rates, leaving concentrations constant. Equilibrium sets the reference conditions for mineral solubility.
Speleothem: A cave deposit, such as a stalactite or stalagmite, formed chiefly by mineral precipitation from water. Calcium carbonate precipitation builds many familiar cave formations.
Crystallization: The formation of an ordered solid crystal from a fluid, melt, or other disordered phase. Mineral precipitation is crystallization specifically from solution into mineral phases.
Amorphous calcium carbonate: A noncrystalline form of calcium carbonate that can precede more stable crystalline polymorphs. Its formation shows that precipitation may pass through transient solids before reaching a stable mineral.

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