Fluorite genesis in sedimentary basins: A review

Alla V Savenko; Vitaly S Savenko; Alla V Savenko; Vitaly S Savenko

doi:10.3934/geosci.2026006

AIMS Geosciences

2026, Volume 12, Issue 1: 158-173. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026006

Previous Article Next Article

Review

Fluorite genesis in sedimentary basins: A review

Alla V Savenko ^{1
,
,},
Vitaly S Savenko ²

1.
Faculty of Geology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia
2.
Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia

Received: 10 July 2025 Revised: 23 October 2025 Accepted: 27 December 2025 Published: 03 February 2026

The available data on the dissolved fluoride content and the saturation degree by fluorite in waters of the world ocean and large continental reservoirs were critically reviewed. It was shown that evaporative concentrating of dissolved salts in the autonomous marine basins cannot cause chemogenic fluorite precipitation, which can occur only with additional supply of fluoride from external sources (river runoff, volcanic exhalations, and terrigenous aerosols). The contribution of external fluoride sources should be at least 1.5–4 times of the mass of fluoride supplied with seawater. As such, saturation of waters by CaF₂ and the fluorite formation is possible in large drying continental reservoirs of the arid zone that have no direct connection with the world ocean. An assumption about a two-stage mechanism of authigenic fluorite formation in carbonate rocks was made. At the first stage, freshly formed finely dispersed carbonate sediments uptake fluoride from seawater as a result of sorption and coprecipitation. In the second stage, during the recrystallization of the primary solid phase, its partial purification occurs, which is accompanied by the release of some of the uptaken fluoride into the pore solutions. This causes an increase in the dissolved fluoride concentration in the pore waters to values sufficient for fluorite precipitation.
- fluorite,
- sedimentary rocks,
- genesis,
- ocean,
- continental water reservoirs,
- saturation degree,
- mechanism of formation
Citation: Alla V Savenko, Vitaly S Savenko. Fluorite genesis in sedimentary basins: A review[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2026, 12(1): 158-173. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026006

Related Papers:

Abstract

The available data on the dissolved fluoride content and the saturation degree by fluorite in waters of the world ocean and large continental reservoirs were critically reviewed. It was shown that evaporative concentrating of dissolved salts in the autonomous marine basins cannot cause chemogenic fluorite precipitation, which can occur only with additional supply of fluoride from external sources (river runoff, volcanic exhalations, and terrigenous aerosols). The contribution of external fluoride sources should be at least 1.5–4 times of the mass of fluoride supplied with seawater. As such, saturation of waters by CaF₂ and the fluorite formation is possible in large drying continental reservoirs of the arid zone that have no direct connection with the world ocean. An assumption about a two-stage mechanism of authigenic fluorite formation in carbonate rocks was made. At the first stage, freshly formed finely dispersed carbonate sediments uptake fluoride from seawater as a result of sorption and coprecipitation. In the second stage, during the recrystallization of the primary solid phase, its partial purification occurs, which is accompanied by the release of some of the uptaken fluoride into the pore solutions. This causes an increase in the dissolved fluoride concentration in the pore waters to values sufficient for fluorite precipitation.

References

[1]	Ronov AB, Girin YuP, Ermishkina AI, et al. (1974) Fluorine geochemistry in sedimentation cycle. Geokhimiya, 1587–1612.
[2]	Thompson TG, Taylor HJ (1933) Determination and occurrence of fluorides in sea water. Ind Eng Chem Anal Ed 5: 87–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac50082a006 doi: 10.1021/ac50082a006
[3]	Greenhalgh R, Riley JP (1963) Occurrence of abnormally high fluoride concentration at depth in the oceans. Nature 197: 371–372. https://doi.org/10.1038/197371b0 doi: 10.1038/197371b0
[4]	Brewer PG, Spencer DW, Wilkniss PE (1970) Anomalous fluoride concentrations in the North Atlantic. Deep-Sea Res Oceanogr Abstr 17: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(70)90083-5 doi: 10.1016/0011-7471(70)90083-5
[5]	Bewers JM (1971) North Atlantic fluoride profiles. Deep-Sea Res Oceanogr Abstr 18: 237–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(71)90113-6 doi: 10.1016/0011-7471(71)90113-6
[6]	Warner TB (1971) Normal fluoride content of seawater. Deep-Sea Res Oceanogr Abstr 18: 1255–1263. https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(71)90030-1 doi: 10.1016/0011-7471(71)90030-1
[7]	Windom HL (1971) Fluoride concentration in coastal and estuarine waters. Limnol Oceanogr 16: 806–810. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1971.16.5.0806 doi: 10.4319/lo.1971.16.5.0806
[8]	Jones MM, Warner TB (1975) Fluoride in seawater north and east of Iceland. J Geophys Res 80: 2695. https://doi.org/10.1029/JC080i018p02695 doi: 10.1029/JC080i018p02695
[9]	Sen Gupta R, Naik S, Singbal SYS (1978) A study of fluoride, calcium and magnesium in the Northern Indian Ocean. Mar Chem 6: 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4203(78)90023-3 doi: 10.1016/0304-4203(78)90023-3
[10]	Naik S, Dias CM (1982) On the distribution of fluoride, calcium and magnesium in the waters of the central west coast of India. Mahasagar Bull Nat Inst Oceanogr 15: 23–28.
[11]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2025) Fluorine content in surface waters of the World Ocean. Oceanology 65: 198–203. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437024701054 doi: 10.1134/S0001437024701054
[12]	Edmond JM, Measures C, McDuff RE, et al. (1979) Ridge crest hydrothermal activity and the balances of major and minor elements in the ocean: The Galapagos data. Earth Planet Sci Lett 46: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(79)90061-X doi: 10.1016/0012-821X(79)90061-X
[13]	Von Damm KL, Edmond JM, Grant B, et al. (1985) Chemistry of submarine hydrothermal solutions at 21°N, East Pacific Rise. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 49: 2197–2220. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(85)90222-4 doi: 10.1016/0016-7037(85)90222-4
[14]	Fazlullin SM, Gavrilenko GM (1989) Fluorine as an indicator of underwater volcanic activity and methods for its determination in seawater. Vulkanologiya i Seismologiya, 70–76.
[15]	Olafsson J (1975) Volcanic influence on seawater at Heimaey. Nature 255: 138–141. https://doi.org/10.1038/255138a0 doi: 10.1038/255138a0
[16]	Kullenberg B, Sen Gupta R (1973) Fluoride in the Baltic. Geochim Cosmoshim Acta 37: 1327–1337. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(73)90064-1 doi: 10.1016/0016-7037(73)90064-1
[17]	Laznik MM, Yurpik TE (1990) Fluorine in the waters of the Gulf of Riga. Izvestiya Latviiskoi Akademii Nauk, 90–94.
[18]	Savenko VS (1990) Fluorine in Caspian Sea water, The Caspian Sea: Water Structure and Dynamics, Moscow: Nauka, 156–159.
[19]	Maev EG, Savenko VS, Shirokova VA (1984) Fluorine in Aral Sea water. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, Ser 5: Geografiya, 82–85.
[20]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2025) Saturation degree of the Aral Sea in CaF₂ in the modern period. Dokl Earth Sc 524: 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X25607643 doi: 10.1134/S1028334X25607643
[21]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2022) Fluorine concentration in Issyk Kul Lake. Water Resour 49: 999–1002. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807822060161 doi: 10.1134/S0097807822060161
[22]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2024) Fluorine in the waters of hypersaline water bodies: Dead Sea, Lake Urmia. Water Resour 51: 55–60. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807823700653 doi: 10.1134/S0097807823700653
[23]	Kazakov AV, Sokolova EI (1950) The formation conditions of fluorite in sedimentary rocks (fluorite system). Trudy Instituta Geologicheskikh Nauk, Ser Geol 114: 22–64. http://www.ginras.ru/library/pdf/ign114_geol40_1950.pdf
[24]	Savenko VS (1983) Features of fluorine geochemistry in mud waters of sediments of highly productive oceanic area. Geokhimiya, 1791–1795.
[25]	Garand A, Mucci A (2004) The solubility of fluorite as a function of ionic strength and solution composition at 25 ℃ and 1 atm total pressure. Mar Chem 91: 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2004.04.002 doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2004.04.002
[26]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2023) The solubility of CaF₂ in seawater of normal and increased salinity (associated with genesis of fluorite in sedimentary rocks). Moscow Univ Geol Bull 78: 731–736. https://doi.org/10.3103/S0145875223060145 doi: 10.3103/S0145875223060145
[27]	Strakhov NM, Borneman-Starynkevich ID (1946) About strontium, boron and bromine in rocks of the Lower Permian halogen strata of the Bashkir Cis-Urals, Problems of Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Petrography, Moscow–Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences Publication, 262–274. https://www.geokniga.org/books/27407
[28]	Bushinskii GI (1936) On the problem of fluorite genesis in sedimentary rocks. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Ser Geol, 775–793.
[29]	Pustovalov LV (1937) Ratovkite of the Upper Volga Region, Moscow–Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences Publication, 1–71.
[30]	Karpinskii AP (1915) On the origin of fluorspar accumulation in the deposits of the Moscovian Stage of the Carboniferous System and some other geological phenomena. Izvestiya Imperatorskoi Akademii Nauk 9: 1539–1558. https://www.mathnet.ru/eng/im6408
[31]	Fersman AE (1953) Geochemistry of Russia, In: Fersman, A. E. Selective Works, 2, Moscow: USSR Academy of Sciences Publication, 9–210. https://www.geokniga.org/books/4475
[32]	Yudovich YaE, Ivanova TN, Chernykh VA (1975) On the fluorine geochemistry in carbonate rocks (on the example of the Carboniferous sequence on the western slope of the Northern Urals). Lithol Miner Resour 38: 91–99. https://www.geokniga.org/books/37442
[33]	Yudovich YaE, Ketris MP (2011) Geochemical Indicators of Lithogenesis, Syktyvkar: Geoprint, 1–742. https://www.geokniga.org/books/39413
[34]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2020) On the transformation of the chemical composition of seawater in interaction with terrigenous aerosols. Oceanology 60: 742–747. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437020050215 doi: 10.1134/S0001437020050215
[35]	Savenko AV, Savenko VS (2019) Stability of accessory fluorine minerals in the process of formation of dissolved matter continental runoff. Processes Geomedia, 82–86. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=38240192
[36]	Zavialov PO, Arashkevich EG, Bastida I, et al. (2012) Large Aral Sea in the Beginning of 21st Century: Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, Moscow: Nauka, 1–229. Available from: https://cawater-info.net/bk/water_land_resources_use/russian_ver/pdf/aralskoe-more-v-nach.21-v.pdf.
[37]	Ohde S, Kitano Y (1980) Incorporation of fluoride into Ca-Mg carbonate. Geochem J 14: 321–324. https://doi.org/10.2343/geochemj.14.321 doi: 10.2343/geochemj.14.321
[38]	Okumura M, Kitano Y, Idogaki M (1983) Incorporation of fluoride ions into calcite—Effect of organic materials and magnesium ions in a parent solution. Geochem J 17: 257–263. https://doi.org/10.2343/geochemj.17.257 doi: 10.2343/geochemj.17.257
[39]	Smith RM, Martell AE (1976) Inorganic Complexes, Critical Stability Constants, New York: Plenum Press, 1–257. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5506-0
[40]	Möller P, Schulz S, Jacob KH (1980) Formation of fluorite in sedimentary basins. Chem Geol 31: 97–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(80)90070-4 doi: 10.1016/0009-2541(80)90070-4

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2026 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)