Alkalinity and Formation of Zeolites in Saline Alkaline Lakes

Abstract

The solubility of rhyolitic glass increases with increasing alkalinity, whereas the ratio of silicon to aluminum decreases with increasing alkalinity. The strong correlation observed between alkalinity and zeolite mineralogy in saline, alkaline lakes is thought to be a function of this relationship between pH and the Si/Al ratio. It is suggested that this function is a result of the reaction between silicic glass and alkaline solution whereby (i) a gel forms, whose Si/Al ratio is controlled by the Si/Al ratio of the solution, and (ii) a zeolite forms from the gel, whose Si/Al ratio is, in turn, controlled by the composition of the gel.