Chemical diversity of talcs in relation to their origin

Apart from main constituents, chemical compositions of talc show various elements, such as Fe, Al, Cr, Ni, Mn , alkalies and fluorine. Several analyses of talcs from Egypt (El-Sharkawy 2000) show the rectilinear negative correlation of Si and Fe 3+ suggesting simultaneous substitution of Fe 3 ' both in tetrahedra and in octahedra according to the mechanism MgSiSi. Much weaker correlation shows octahedral Al (R2 =0.50). Sodium content shows positive correlation both with temperature and pressure of talc crystallization. It is likely that high PT-conditions favour incorporating Na into the talc structure

Chemistry of smectite and volcanic glass of ODP Site 159-959

The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 959 was drilled in the northern border of the Côte d'Ivoire–Ghana Ridge at a water depth of 2100 m. Pleistocene total thickness does not exceed 20 m. Winnowing processes resulted in a low accumulation rate and notable stratigraphic hiatuses. During the Late Pleistocene, bottom circulation was very active and controlled laminae deposition (contourites) which increased the concentration of glauconitic infillings of foraminifera, and of volcanic glass and blue-green grains more rarely, with one or several subordinate ferromagnesian silicates. Volcanic glass generally was X-ray amorphous and schematically classified as basic to intermediate (44–60% SiO2). Opal-A or opal-CT suggested the beginning of the palagonitisation process, and previous smectitic deposits may have been eroded mechanically. The blue-green grains presented two main types of mineralogic composition: (1) neoformed K, Fe-smectite associated with zeolite (like phillipsite) and unequal amounts of quartz and anorthite; (2) feldspathic grains dominated by albite but including quartz, volcanic glass and smectites as accessory components. They were more or less associated with the volcanic glass. On the basis of their chemical composition, the genetic relationship between the blue-green grains and the volcanic glass seemed to be obvious although some heterogeneous grains seemed to be primary ignimbrite and not the result of glass weathering. The most reasonable origin of these pyroclastic ejecta would be explosive events from the Cameroon Volcanic Ridge, especially from the Sao Thome and Principe Islands and Mount Cameroon area. This is supported both by grain geochemistry and the time of volcanic activity, i.e. Pleistocene. After westward wind transport (some 1200 km) and ash fall-out, the subsequent winnowing by bottom currents controlled the concentration of the volcanic grains previously disseminated inside the hemipelagic sediment. Palagonitisation, and especially phillipsite formation, may result from a relatively rapid reaction during burial diagenesis (<1 m.y.), in deep-sea deposits at relatively low sedimentation rate. However, it cannot be excluded that the weathering had begun widely on the Cameroon Ridge before the explosive event

The crystal structure of amesite from Mount Sobotka: A nonstandard polytype

6 pages, figures, and tables statistics.The crystal structure of a violet phyllosilicate from the serpentinite massif of the Sobotka Mountains, lower Silesis, Poland, identified as amesite by powder diffractometry, wet chemical anslysis, and IR absorption spctrometry, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The mineral has a composition elose to that of the ideal end-member amesite but with significant amounts of Cr, Fe2+, and Ni. The formula is (Mg...)Peer reviewe