Analysis of moonmilk nanofibers in the etruscan tombs of Tarquinia

Researchers analyzing moonmilk nanofibers in the Etruscan tombs of Tarquinia, Italy, discovered that the type of rock surrounding these speleothems influences their crystal structure. Moonmilk, a secondary calcite deposit, was found to form finer and thinner nanofibers when associated with Sabbione (a hybrid sandstone) compared to Macco (a calcarenite). This difference is attributed to slower growth kinetics in Sabbione due to its lower calcium content. The study used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to examine samples from twelve tombs, providing insights into the formation mechanisms of calcium carbonate nanostructures with implications for geomicrobiology, astrobiology, medicine, and nanotechnology.

Mura, F., Cirigliano, A., Maras, D., & Rinaldi, T. (2021). Analysis of moonmilk nanofibers in the etruscan tombs of Tarquinia. The 1st International Conference on Innovations for Computing, Engineering and Materials, 2021: Icem, 2021, 2420, 20014. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0068804