Tufa - wikipedia Tufa Not to be confused with tuff, a porous volcanic rock also called ' tufa '. For other uses, see Tufa ( disambiguation ). Tufa columns at Mono Lake, California Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of ambient temperature water. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar ( but less porous ) carbonate deposits known as travertine. Tufa is sometimes referred to as ( meteogene ) travertine. It should not be confused with hot spring ( thermogene ) travertine. Tufa, which is calcareous, should not be confused with tuff, a porous volcanic rock with a similar etymology that is sometimes also called `` tufa ''. Contents 1 Classification and features 1.1 Fluvial deposits 1.2 Lacustrine deposits 1.3 Other deposits 1.3. 1 Calcareous sinter 1.3. 2 Speleothems 1.3. 3 Tufa columns 2 Biology 3 Geochemistry 4 Occurrence 5 Uses 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Classification and features Modern and fossil tufa deposits abound with wetland plants ; as such many tufa deposits are characterised by their large macrobiological component and are highly porous. Tufa forms either in fluvial channels or in lacustrine settings. Ford and Pedley ( 1996 ) provide a review of tufa systems worldwide. Barrage Tufa at Cwm Nash, South Wales Fluvial deposits Deposits can be classified by their depositional environment ( or otherwise by vegetation or petrographically ). Pedley ( 1990 ) provides an extensive classification system, which includes the following classes of fluvial tufa : Spring -- Deposits form on emergence from a spring / seep. Morphology can vary from mineratrophic wetlands to spring aprons ( see calcareous sinter ) Braided channel -- Deposits form within a fluvial channel, dominated by oncoids ( see oncolite ) Cascade -- Deposits form at waterfalls, deposition is focussed here due to accelerated flow ( see Geochemistry ) Barrage -- Deposits form as a series of phytoherm barrages across a channel, which may grow up to several metres in height. Barrages often contain a significant detrital component, composed of organic material ( leaf litter, branches etc. ). Lacustrine deposits Lacustrine tufas are generally formed at the periphery of lakes and build up phytoherms ( freshwater reefs ) and stromatolites. Oncoids are also common in these environments. Other deposits While fluvial and lacustrine systems make up the bulk of tufa systems worldwide, there are several other important tufa environments. Calcareous sinter Although sometimes regarded as a distinct carbonate deposit, calcareous sinter formed from ambient temperature water can be considered a sub-type of tufa. Speleothems Calcareous speleothems may be regarded as a form of calcareous sinter. They lack any significant macrophyte component due to the absence of light, and for this reason they are often morphologically closer to travertine or calcareous sinter. Tufa at Trona Pinnacles, California, USA Tufa columns Tufa columns are an unusual form of tufa typically associated with saline lakes. They are distinct from most tufa deposits in that they lack any significant macrophyte component ; this is due to the salinity excluding mesophilic organisms. Some tufa columns may actually form from hot - springs and therefore actually be a form of travertine. It is generally thought that such features form from CaCO precipitated when carbonate rich source waters emerge into alkaline soda lakes. They have also been found in marine settings in the Ikka fjord of Greenland where the Ikaite columns can reach up to 18 m ( 59 ft ) in height. Biology Tufa deposits form an important habitat for a diverse flora. Bryophytes ( non-vascular land plants ) and diatoms are well represented. The porosity of the deposits creates a wet habitat ideal for these plants. Timothy O'Sullivan, The Pyramid and Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, USA ( 1867 ) Geochemistry Modern tufa is formed from alkaline waters, supersaturated with calcite. On emergence, waters degas CO due to the lower atmospheric pCO ( see partial pressure ), resulting in an increase in pH. Since carbonate solubility decreases with increased pH, precipitation is induced. Supersaturation may be enhanced by factors leading to a reduction in pCO, for example increased air - water interactions at waterfalls may be important, as may photosynthesis. Recently it has been demonstrated that microbially induced precipitation may be more important than physico - chemical precipitation. Pedley et al. ( 2009 ) showed with flume experiments that precipitation does not occur unless a biofilm is present, despite supersaturation. Calcite is the dominant mineral precipitate found ; however, the polymorph aragonite is also found. Occurrence Tufa is common in many parts of the world. Some notable deposits include : Pyramid Lake, Nevada, US -- tufa formations Mono Lake, California, US -- tufa columns Trona Pinnacles, California, US -- tufa columns Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, United Kingdom North Dock Tufa, United Kingdom Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia Various parts of Armenia, such as Artik The southwestern coastline of Western Australia Near Groot Marico in the North West Province, South Africa The Kadishi Tufa, Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa Some sources suggest that `` tufa '' was used as the primary building material for most of the châteaux of the Loire Valley, France. This results from a mis - translation of the terms `` tuffeau jaune '' and `` tuffeau blanc '', which are porous varieties of the Late Cretaceous marine limestone known as chalk. Uses Tufa is today occasionally shaped into a planter. Its porous consistency makes tufa ideal for alpine gardens. A concrete mixture called hypertufa is used for similar purposes. See also Calcareous sinter Speleothem List of types of limestone References Jump up ^ Pentecost, A. ( 2005 ). Travertine. Dordrecht, Netherlands : Kluwer Academic Publishers Group. ISBN 1 - 4020 - 3523 - 3. Jump up ^ Koban, C.G. ; Schweigert, G. ( 1993 ). `` Microbial origin of travertine fabrics - two examples from Southern Germany ( Pleistocene Stuttgart travertines and Miocene riedöschingen Travertine ) ''. Facies. 29 : 251 -- 263. doi : 10.1007 / BF02536931. ^ Jump up to : Ford, T.D. ; Pedley, H.M. ( 1996 ). `` A review of tufa and travertine deposits of the world ''. Earth - Science Reviews. 41 ( 3 -- 4 ) : 117 -- 175. Bibcode : 1996ESRv... 41... 117F. doi : 10.1016 / S0012 - 8252 ( 96 ) 00030 - X. Jump up ^ Pedley, H.M. ( 1990 ). `` Classification and environmental models of cool freshwater tufas ''. Sedimentary Geology. 68 : 143 -- 154. Bibcode : 1990SedG... 68... 143P. doi : 10.1016 / 0037 - 0738 ( 90 ) 90124 - C. Jump up ^ Buchardt, B. ; Israelson, C. ; Seaman, P. ; Stockmann, G. ( 2001 ). `` Ikaite tufa towers in ikka fjord, southwest Greenland : their formation by mixing of seawater and alkaline spring water ''. Journal of Sedimentary Research. 71 ( 1 ) : 176 -- 189. Bibcode : 2001JSedR... 71... 176B. doi : 10.1306 / 042800710176. Jump up ^ Bialkowski, S.E. 2004. `` Use of Acid Distributions in Solubility Problems ''. Archived from the original on 2009 - 02 - 28. Jump up ^ Zhang, D. ; Zhang, Y ; Zhu, A. ; Cheng, X ( 2001 ). `` Physical mechanisms of river waterfall tufa ( travertine ) formation ''. Journal of Sedimentary Research. 71 ( 1 ) : 205 -- 216. Bibcode : 2001JSedR... 71... 205Z. doi : 10.1306 / 061600710205. Jump up ^ Riding, R. ( 2000 ). `` Microbial carbonates : the geological record of calcified bacterial - algal mats and biofilms ''. Sedimentology. 47 : 179 -- 214. doi : 10.1046 / j. 1365 - 3091.2000. 00003. x. Jump up ^ Pedley, M. ; Rogerson, M. ; Middleton, R. ( 2009 ). `` Freshwater calcite precipitates from in vitro mesocosm flume experiments : a case for biomediation of tufas ''. Sedimentology. 56 ( 2 ) : 511 -- 527. Bibcode : 2009Sedim... 56... 511P. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1365 - 3091.2008. 00983. x. Jump up ^ Forster, A. ; Forster, S.C. ( 1996 ). `` Troglodyte dwellings of the Loire Valley, France ''. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. 29 ( 3 ) : 193 -- 197. doi : 10.1144 / GSL. QJEGH. 1996.029. P3. 01. Jump up ^ `` Au Turonien ''. Une histoire de la Touraine à travers ses roches ( in French ). Retrieved 2010 - 10 - 01. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Tufa ( category ) Mono Lake Committee : `` Tufa '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tufa&oldid=847460432 '' Categories : Tufa Limestone Sedimentary rocks Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from April 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Aragonés Беларуская Brezhoneg Català Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido ქართული Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Українська Walon 中文 24 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 June 2018, at 14 : 33 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: tufa towers in mono lake form by the process of
Answer: alkaline waters, supersaturated with calcite