Dynamics of Chemical Orders in Formation of Striped Patterns in Metamorphic Rocks

TL;DR

This study uses a reaction-diffusion model to simulate the chemical processes leading to striped patterns in metamorphic rocks, providing insights into their formation at microscopic levels.

Contribution

It introduces the application of the Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion model to understand the chemical order dynamics in metamorphic rock pattern formation.

Findings

Reaction-diffusion interactions produce out-of-phase chemical domains.

Striped patterns emerge from differing diffusion and reaction rates.

Model offers insights into early microscopic stages of pattern formation.

Abstract

The striped patterns in rocks, characterized by thin dark bands and thick light bands, are a result of the natural processes that have shaped the rocks through in situ metamorphism. Notably, the dark and light bands are composed of similar minerals, with the dark bands containing additional trapped materials such as fluid pockets or extra mineral grains. Here we employed the Gray-Scott Reaction Diffusion model to investigate the interaction between two sets of virtual chemicals, denoted as 'u' and 'v'. The differing diffusion and reaction rates of 'u' and 'v' chemical orders lead to the formation of 180 degree out-of-phase chemical domains, resulting in striped patterns. Utilizing the Gray-Scott model in this manner, we gain valuable insights into the early microscopic stages of these geologically significant striped patterns in metamorphic rocks.