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Vivianite blues

Nature Geoscience volume 16, page 394 (2023)Cite this article

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From Dutch painters to ocean sediments, Caroline Slomp discusses the role vivianite plays in the distribution of phosphorus, an essential nutrient for life.

Excavated bones, soils or sediments seemingly splashed with blue paint — archaeologists and geologists will immediately recognize the mineral vivianite, a hydrated ferrous–iron phosphate mineral. Vivianite [Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O] is colourless when it forms but, upon exposure to oxygen and light, its colour changes to a vivid bright blue, followed by lighter or darker hues that may even transform to yellow–browns and greys. These colour changes are the result of the oxidation of iron during the conversion of vivianite to a range of other iron-phosphate minerals1,2,3. For Dutch painters in the 17th century that used vivianite as a pigment, including Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn, this evanescent property posed various challenges2. Just imagine selecting vivianite to portray a brilliant blue sky on your canvas and then, once finished, realise that the painted sky gradually changes to a dull grey.

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Fig. 1: Vivianite mineral.

Caroline Slomp

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  1. Radboud Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

    Caroline P. Slomp

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  1. Caroline P. Slomp
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Correspondence to Caroline P. Slomp.

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Slomp, C.P. Vivianite blues. Nat. Geosci. 16, 394 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01174-7

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