Moreover, mirabilite crystals can also cause
destructive damage when they grow from a supersaturated condition
that results from thenardite dissolution rather than from thenardite
hydration Tsui [33,40]. Navarro and Doehne [28] observed
this phenomenon using environmental scanning electron microscopy
(ESEM). They reported dissolution of thenardite followed by
mirabilite precipitation rather than thenardite hydration to form
mirabilite. Thus, super-saturation appears to be an essential condition
for crystal growth to apply destructive pressure