Clay minerals and sedimentary basin history

Clay minerals in the mud and soil that coat the Earth's surface are part of a clay cycle that breaks down and creates rock in the crust. Clays generated by surface weathering and shallow diagenetic processes are transformed into mature clay mineral assemblages in the mudrocks found in sedimentary basins. During metamorphism, the release of alkali elements and boron from clay minerals generates magmas that are subsequently weathered and recycled, representing the magma-to-mud pathway of the clay cycle. Volcanogenic clay represents an important but hitherto underestimated proportion of recycled clay. Within sedimentary basins, immature clays are transformed to mature and supermature clay assemblages by a series of reactions that generally obey the Ostwald Step Rule. Bedding-parallel microfabric generated by these reactions produce significant changes in the physical properties of deeply buried mudrocks. Clay minerals react to form equilibrium assemblages in 1 x 104 years in some hydrothermal systems, but immature clays may survive for up to 2 x 109 years in mid-continental rift basins. Clay mineral assemblages and the b cell dimension of K-white mica can be used to infer the geotectonic settings of sedimentary basins

Molecular characteristic of phosphoric acid treated soils

The expansive nature of soils containing high amounts of clay minerals can be altered through chemical stabilization, resulting in a material suitable for construction purposes. The primary objective of this investigation was to study the changes induced in the molecular structure of phosphoric acid stabilized bentonite and lateritic soil using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Based on the obtained data, it was found that a surface alteration mechanism was the main reason responsible for the improvement of treated soils. Furthermore, the results indicated that the Al present in the octahedral layer of clay minerals were more amenable to chemical attacks and also partly responsible for the formation of new products

Controlled Rate Thermal Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry of Sepiolites and Palygorskites

A series of sepiolites, palygorskites and "Rocky Mountain Leather" clay minerals have been analysed by controlled rate thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Eight weight loss steps are observed and are structure and composition dependent. Three dehydration steps and five dehydroxylation steps are observed. The mass spectrometric curve mimicked the differential thermogravimetric (DTGA) curve enabling the detailed determination of the dehydration and dehydroxylation step

Identification of clay minerals in reservoir rocks by FTIR spectroscopy

Clay minerals including kaolinite, montmorillonite and bentonite in oil and gas reservoir rocks are identified by absorption spectra obtained via Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Bands around 3695, 3666, 3650 and 3630 cm{-1} and bands around 3620 and 3400 cm{-1} are the most diagnostically reliable for kaolinite and montmorillonite, respectively; also absorption bands in the region of 1200...955 cm{-1} are equally diagnostic for all the clay minerals studied

Possible role of organic matter in radiocaesium adsorption in soils

The aim of this review is to examine the hypothesis that organic matter decreases the adsorption of radiocaesium on clay minerals. The factors that determine radiocaesium mobility and bioavailability in soil are briefly outlined to show why a relationship between soil organic matter content and enhanced Cs bioavailability is paradoxical. In all the investigations reviewed the ionic compositions of both the solid and the solution phases have been strictly controlled. We show that the addition of organic matter to reference clay minerals causes decreases of up to an order of magnitude in the distribution coefficient of radiocaesium. Similarly, the chemical removal of organic matter from the clay-sized fraction of soil usually leads to an increase in Cs adsorption. We suggest that the nature of the organic matter and its interaction with mineral surfaces are as important as the amount present

Chemistry and mineralogy of clay minerals in Asian and Saharan dusts and the implications for iron supply to the oceans

Mineral dust supplied to remote ocean regions stimulates phytoplankton growth through delivery of micronutrients, notably iron (Fe). Although attention is usually paid to Fe (hydr)oxides as major sources of available Fe, Fe-bearing clay minerals are typically the dominant phase in mineral dust. The mineralogy and chemistry of clay minerals in dust particles, however, are largely unknown. We conducted microscopic identification and chemical analysis of the clay minerals in Asian and Saharan dust particles. Cross-sectional slices of dust particles were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) techniques and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). TEM images of FIB slices revealed that clay minerals occurred as either nano-thin platelets or relatively thick plates. Chemical compositions and lattice fringes of the nano-thin platelets suggested that they included illite, smectite, illite–smectite mixed layers, and their nanoscale mixtures (illite–smectite series clay minerals, ISCMs) which could not be resolved with an electron microbeam. EDXS chemical analysis of the clay mineral grains revealed that the average Fe content was 5.8% in nano-thin ISCM platelets assuming 14% H2O, while the Fe content of illite and chlorite was 2.8 and 14.8%, respectively. In addition, TEM and EDXS analyses were performed on clay mineral grains dispersed and loaded on micro-grids. The average Fe content of clay mineral grains was 6.7 and 5.4% in Asian and Saharan dusts, respectively. A comparative X-ray diffraction analysis of bulk dusts showed that Saharan dust was more enriched in clay minerals than Asian dust, while Asian dust was more enriched in chlorite. Clay minerals, in particular nanocrystalline ISCMs and Fe-rich chlorite, are probably important sources of Fe to remote marine ecosystems. Further detailed analyses of the mineralogy and chemistry of clay minerals in global mineral dusts are required to evaluate the inputs of Fe to surface ocean microbial communities

Glen Torridon Mineralogy and the Sedimentary History of the Clay Mineral Bearing Unit

Clay minerals are common in ancient terrains on Mars and their presence at the surface alludes to aqueous processes in the Noachian to Early Hesperian (>3.5 Ga). Gale crater was selected as Curiositys landing site largely because of the identification of clay mineral rich strata from orbit. On Earth, the types of clay minerals (i.e., smectites) identified in Gale crater are typically juvenile weathering products that ultimately record the interaction between primary igneous minerals with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Trioctahedral and dioctahedral smectite were identified by Curiosity in units stratigraphically below the Clay Mineral-Bearing Unit (CBU) identified from orbit. Compositional and sedimentological data suggest the smectite formed via authigenesis in a lake environment and may have been altered during early diagenesis. The CBU is stratigraphically equivalent to a hematite-rich unit to the north and stratigraphically underlies sulfate-rich units to the south, suggesting a dynamic environment and evolving history of water in the ancient Gale crater lake. Targeting these clay mineral rich areas on Mars with rover missions provides an opportunity to explore the aqueous and sedimentary history of the planet

Impact-Induced Clay Mineral Formation and Distribution on Mars

Clay minerals have been identified in the central peaks and ejecta blankets of impact craters on Mars. Several studies have suggested these clay minerals formed as a result of impact induced hydrothermalism either during Mars' Noachian era or more recently by the melting of subsurface ice. Examples of post-impact clay formation is found in several locations on Earth such as the Mjolnir and Woodleigh Impact Structures. Additionally, a recent study has suggested the clay minerals observed on Ceres are the result of impact-induced hydrothermal processes. Such processes may have occurred on Mars, possibly during the Noachian. Distinguishing between clay minerals formed preor post-impact can be accomplished by studying their IR spectra. In fact, showed that the IR spectra of clay minerals is greatly affected at longer wavelengths (i.e. mid-IR, 5-25 micron) by impact-induced shock deformation while the near-IR spectra (1.0-2.5 micron) remains relatively unchanged. This explains the discrepancy between NIR and MIR observations of clay minerals in martian impact craters noted. Thus, it allows us to determine whether a clay mineral formed from impact-induced hydrothermalism or were pre-existing and were altered by the impact. Here we study the role of impacts on the formation and distribution of clay minerals on Mars via a fully 3-D Monte Carlo cratering model, including impact- melt production using results from modern hydrocode simulations. We identify regions that are conducive to clay formation and the location of clay minerals post-bombardment

Guide to the nature and methods of analysis of the clay fraction of tephras from the South Auckland region, New Zealand.

The manual outlines some of the more common laboratory procedures available for qualitatively and quantitatively analysing the composition of the tephric clays, many of which are difficult to determine because of their short range order or 'amorphous' nature. Techniques described and assessed in terms of their rapidity and quantitativeness include XRD, IR, DTA, TEM and SEM, sodium fluoride reactivity, chemical dissolution analyses, and surface area measurements. No one technique alone produces a definitive clay fraction analysis of tephric deposits. -from Author