Geochemical Model for Rapid Carbonate Precipitation of Travertines

In the last chapter, we demonstrate the daily processes of the sub-mm-scale lamination. When favorable geochemical and hydrological conditions sustain, travertine can grow at a rate of tens of centimeters per year and tens of meters per a thousand years. Our founding strongly supports the previous statement that one of the most notable features of travertine is its rapid growth (or carbonate precipitation) rate (Kitano 1963; Folk et al. 1985; Pentecost 2005). In addition, recognition of the daily lamination enables to determine the growth rate of travertine that is enormous in comparison with the growth rate for tufa in non-hydrothermal karst settings (Ford and Pedley 1996). Andrews (2006) suggested that the tufa growth rate seldom exceeds 10 mm/year, and comprehensive studies in southwestern Japan revealed that the rate ranges from 3 to 8 mm/year (Kano et al. 2007; Kawai et al. 2009). Growth rate of a typical travertine is two orders of magnitude higher than that of a typical tufa.