Halophilic Archaea Mediate the Formation of Proto-Dolomite in Solutions With Various Sulfate Concentrations and Salinities.

In the past several decades, sulfate concentration and salinity have been considered to be the two essential hydrochemical factors in the formation of dolomite, yet arguments against this hypothesis have existed simultaneously. To clarify the effects of sulfate concentration and salinity in the mineralization of dolomite, we conducted experiments on dolomite precipitation mediated by a halophilic archaeon, sp. J7-1 with various sulfate concentrations and salinities.