Deformation-resembling microstructure created by fluid-mediated dissolution–precipitation reactions

Deformation microstructures are widely used for reconstructing tectono-metamorphic events recorded in rocks. In crustal settings deformation is often accompanied and/or succeeded by fluid infiltration and dissolution–precipitation reactions. However, the microstructural consequences of dissolution–precipitation in minerals have not been investigated experimentally. Here we conducted experiments where KBr crystals were reacted with a saturated KCl-H2O fluid. The results show that reaction products, formed in the absence of deformation, inherit the general crystallographic orientation from their parents, but also display a development of new microstructures that are typical in deformed minerals, such as apparent bending of crystal lattices and new subgrain domains, separated by low-angle and, in some cases, high-angle boundaries. Our work suggests that fluid-mediated dissolution–precipitation reactions can lead to a development of potentially misleading microstructures. We propose a set of criteria that may help in distinguishing such microstructures from the ones that are created by crystal-plastic deformation.