Kaolinite and mixed-layer illite–smectite in Lower Cretaceous bentonites from the Peace River coalfield, British Columbia

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Spears ◽  
P. McL. D. Duff

The X-ray diffraction analysis of 75 thin volcanic clay bands in the Lower Cretaceous of the Peace River coalfield shows kaolinite and mixed-layer illite–smectite to be the two clay minerals present. Kaolinite is dominant in the clay bands (tonsteins) in the coal-bearing Gething and Gates formations, whereas illite–smectite is dominant in the clay bands (K-bentonites) in the marine Moosebar Formation. A complete gradation exists between the two clay minerals, demonstrating their common volcanic origin. Volcanic textures are seen in thin section. The relationship between clay composition and depositional environment corresponds with the clay stability fields with smectite the precursor of the mixed-layer clay. The proportion of illite in the latter averages 22% and corresponds with the coal rank. The major-element analyses mainly reflect the clay composition but with contributions from resistate and diagenetic minerals. Amongst the trace elements there are those that are both immobile in the alteration process and diagnostic of a specific volcanic composition. Based on such trace elements the ash composition is thought to have ranged from rhyolite to dacite, perhaps due in part to original grain-size variation as in tephra beds.

Clay Minerals ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.-M. Wilke ◽  
U. Schwertmann ◽  
E. Murad

AbstractXRD, DTA and IR patterns showed clay veins filling fissures in a granite of the Bayerischer Wald (eastern Bavaria) to consist mainly of hydrated halloysite of low crystallinity with traces of gibbsite, 2:1 (mixed layer) clay minerals and iron oxides. The halloysite forms thin plates which exhibit varying degrees and types of enrolment, resulting in platy, tubular and spheroidal crystals within the same sample. Concentrations of the trace elements Rb, Sr, Ba, Zr, Y, Ce, Pb, Zn and Cu indicate halloysite formation to have taken place via an aqueous phase under the influence of vadose waters circulating in fissures.


Clay Minerals ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Courbe ◽  
B. Velde ◽  
A. Meunier

AbstractPolarizing microscope, electron microprobe and X-ray diffraction examination of minerals in a soil profile developed on a glauconite sand indicate that destabilization of glauconite can be a progressive process which appears to be the reverse of glauconitization. Glauconite in these soils appears to be destabilized into a mixed-layer glauconite-nontronite phase, which crystallizes as a plasma mineral. This material in turn is transformed into smectite+kaolinite+oxides. Loss of K and Fe is evident in whole rock as well as microprobe analyses of the samples. Thus glauconite can lose both Fe and K to aqueous solution during weathering, leaving aluminous clay minerals in the soil.


1979 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Pericles Veiga

Analysis by x - ray diffraction permited to compare the nature of the clay minerals of Mesozoic rocks from the Central Depression of the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (Rosário do sul Formation, Santa Maria Formation and Caturrira Member of the Botucatu Formation) with those of Cenozoic rocks (Tertiary? ) which partially cover the first ones. In the Mesozoic rocks predominates the montmorillonite, followed by illite and by mixed-layer I-M (10-14M). On other hand, in Cenozoic rocks there is a complete predomination of kaolinite, with litle percentage of ilite, mixed-layer I-M (10-14M) and montmorillonite. This difference helps in the distinction between the two sequences, in places where the litologies are not fully conclusive. The predominance of montmorillonite in the Mesozoic and kaolinite in the Cenozoic can be explained by climatic differences and / or by others causes. In the case of climatic differences, the Cenozoic would have been much more wet than the Mesozoic.


2020 ◽  
pp. 3006-3023
Author(s):  
Ali I. Al-Juboury ◽  
Mohammed A. Al-Haj ◽  
Adrian Hutton ◽  
Brian Jones

The present work is conducted on the Paleozoic (Ordovician) Khabour and the (Silurian) Akkas shales in the Akkas-1 well of western Iraq. The study is aiming to determine the implications of clay mineral transformation, organic mineral distribution and maturity of hydrocarbon generation, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in addition to organic matter concentrations. In the shale of the Khabour Formation, amorphous organic matter is common and includes various Tasmanite-type organic matter, vitrinite, inertinite, and bituminite. The main clay minerals observed include illite, chlorite, kaolinite, in addition to mixed-layer illite-smectite and rare smectite. In Silurian shale, high content of organic matter is recorded in addition to abundant vitrinite and low content of grainy organic matter (Tasmanites) and pyrite. Illite and kaolinite are commonly found in addition to chlorite and illite-smectite clay minerals. Conversion of smectite to mixed-layer illite-smectite (I-S) and an increase in vitrinite reflectance are commonly observed below 2500 m depth in the studied formations, which coincides with oil and gas generation. These results could be used as an indication of higher maturity and hydrocarbon generation in the deeply buried shale of the Khabour and Akkas formations in western Iraq.


1962 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Clark ◽  
J. E. Brydon ◽  
H. J. Hortie

X-ray diffraction analysis was used to identify the clay minerals present in fourteen subsoil samples that were selected to represent some more important clay-bearing deposits in British Columbia. The clay mineralogy of the subsoils varied considerably but montmorillonitic clay minerals tended to predominate in the water-laid deposits of the south and illite in the soil parent materials of the Interior Plains region of the northeastern part of the Province.


Author(s):  
R. A. Batchelor ◽  
J. A. Weir

ABSTRACTThe Moffat Shale Group is a condensed, variable and partly pelagic sequence of mudrocks of Llandeilo—Llandovery age. The sequence has a five-fold lithological subdivision based mainly on the occurrence of grey mudstones within a succession otherwise dominated by fully euxinic black graptolitic mudrocks. Associated with the black mudrocks, especially in the Llandovery, are metabentonite beds which achieve a climax, both in thickness and in number, within the top quarter of the mudrock sequence. A geochemical and mineralogical study has confirmed a volcanic origin for the metabentonites. Major element data highlight a carbonate-dominated environment above the gregarius—convolutus Zones boundary. Phosphorus levels reach a peak at the same boundary, as well as at the Caradoc—Ashgill boundary where phosphorite horizons are known from Wales and Norway. Immobile trace elements have highlighted regular changes in source magma composition. Prolonged periods of crystal fractionation in magmas of intermediate composition gave rise, on eruption, to large volumes of silicic ash which had a deleterious effect on graptolite species and led to local extinctions. Regular fluctuations in ash composition from silicic to intermediate are ascribed to alternating fractionation and magma mixing cycles.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 601-610
Author(s):  
K. Itiowe ◽  
R. Oghonyon ◽  
B. K. Kurah

The sediment of #3 Well of the Greater Ughelli Depobelt are represented by sand and shale intercalation. In this study, lithofacies analysis and X-ray diffraction technique were used to characterize the sediments from the well. The lithofacies analysis was based on the physical properties of the sediments encountered from the ditch cuttings.  Five lithofacies types of mainly sandstone, clayey sandstone, shaly sandstone, sandy shale and shale and 53 lithofacies zones were identified from 15 ft to 11295 ft. The result of the X-ray diffraction analysis identified that the following clay minerals – kaolinite, illite/muscovite, sepiolite, chlorite, calcite, dolomite; with kaolinite in greater percentage. The non-clay minerals include quartz, pyrite, anatase, gypsum, plagioclase, microcline, jarosite, barite and fluorite; with quartz having the highest percentage. Therefore, due to the high percentage of kaolinite in #3 well, the pore filing kaolinite may have more effect on the reservoir quality than illite/muscovite, chlorite and sepiolite. By considering the physical properties, homogenous and heterogeneous nature of the #3 Well, it would be concluded that #3 Well has some prospect for petroleum and gas exploration.


Clay Minerals ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Halma

Because of increased interest in mineralogical analysis of soils a rapid, generally applicable method to separate clay minerals is needed, and such a method is described here. The technique is a modification of the heavy liquid density gradient centrifugation method which is commonly applied in mineralogical practice. Modifications are:(1)The use of suitable surface active agents to overcome the flocculation problem.(2)The use of the ultra centrifuge at about 33,000 g to hasten sedimentation.(3)The use of a linear density gradient which supplies in addition a quick identification of the mineral composition.Preliminary experiments, evaluating different variables (e.g. cation form, ultrasonic treatment, influence of surfactant), reveal the scope and limitations of the procedure presented.Clay minerals of different density can be separated. However, if the clay minerals of a mixture have overlapping densities, or if they contain a series of mixed-layer minerals, only a broad fractionation is possible. This is shown by X-ray diffraction and electron microscope studies of isolated zones (or parts of them) which develop in the centrifuged density gradient columns containing various pre-treated natural clays or clay mixtures.


1999 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 801-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Quattropani ◽  
L. Charlet ◽  
H. de Lumley ◽  
M. Menu

AbstractBones from level G in the Arago cave (Tautavel, Southern France, 450 ky) were analysed using a combination of particle induced X-ray and gamma-ray emission (PIXE and PIGME) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Human occupation and guano production by bats introduced a large amount of phosphate into the cave and as a result a decarbonated pocket was formed in the sediment, characterized by the dissolution of clay minerals, calcite and bones, and by the precipitation of phosphate secondary minerals. The Al released by clay minerals was reprecipitated as crandallite in the few remaining bones, and as montgomeryite with traces of crandallite in the surrounding sediments. Bones within the pocket have very high levels of Al, Fe, F and Zn and often have ‘diffusive’ type U-shaped concentration profiles. These profiles show that post-mortem uptake of trace elements occurred, and thus that trace element composition has to be used with care in palaeonutritional studies but is indicative of local palaeoenvironment. This uptake is complicated by a large increase in hydroxylapatite crystallinity in Palaeolithic bones compared to modern or more recent ones, as a result of the large P influx which occurred in the Arago cave after the sediment deposition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurit Taitel-Goldman ◽  
Vladimir Ezersky

Fine fraction in quartz arenite sandstones from Lower Cretaceous Hatira formation in Israel was observed by Transmission electron microscope (TEM). Samples were collected from Hatira and Ramon craters located in southern part of Israel and from Manara cliff from the northern part of Israel. The additional phases cause yellow, red, dark red and dark violet colors of the layered sandstones. The motivation was to identify the minerals of the fine factions that cause the variations in the colors. The minerals observed were clay minerals, mainly kaolinite (Al4Si4O20(OH)8), some illite (K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2) and smectite. Iron oxides were goethite (FeOOH) and hematite (Fe2O3), Titanium-iron oxides observed was ilmenite (FeTiO3), and Titanium-oxides were rutile (TiO2), and anatase (TiO2). Sulphates observed were jarosite (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6) and alunite (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6). Some of the hematite was formed by recrystallization of goethite. Ilmenite disintegrated into small iron oxides mainly hematite. Euhedral to sub-hedral rutile (TiO2) and anatase (TiO2) were preserved in clay-minerals. Crystals of alunite and jarosite were observed in sandstones in both craters. They probably crystallized due to some transgression of the Thetis Sea.


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