Geological Society of America

191 Geology and Health: Recent Advances in Medical Geology

Tuesday, 29 October 2013
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 402

ERIONITE IN SOUTH DAKOTA COMPARED WITH ERIONITE FROM CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY

Paper number: 191-11
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

Authors

Meral Dogan Presenting Author
Hacettepe University, Ankara, N/A
A. Umran Dogan
KFUPM, Dhahran, N/A
M. Patrick Pierson
U.S. Forest Service, Custer National Forest, Billings, MT
Nancy Rusho
Centralized National Operations, Minerals And Geology, Missoula, MT
Paolo Ballirano
Universita di Roma, Roma, N/A
Javier Huertas
Universidad de Granada, Granada, N/A

Abstract

In 1960, Deffeyes observed erionite in several western United States including South Dakota. Erionite is found in South Dakota within the Arikaree formation and Brule and Chadron members of the White River formation. Erionite from South Dakota formations have been compared mineralogically with the erionite from Tuzkoy, Sarihidir, and Karain villages of Cappadocia region of Turkey.

Representative samples have been collected from these formations. Samples were analyzed by using FESEM-EDS for morphology and elemental chemistry, powder XRD for precise mineralogical identification and percentages of mineral contents. Because of the small sample size required for electron microscopy, all samples were prepared twice for statistical significance. Verification analyses were performed at independent laboratories.

Turkish erionite has been known to induce mesothelioma, a deadly disease with no known cure. It is important to know the similarity of erionites between the two regions since human health and safety implications may be related to mineralogy and geochemistry.