Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-5wvtr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T12:00:52.187Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Statistical Relationships of Minor Constituents of Some Nontronites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Joseph A. Kornfeld
Joseph A. Kornfeld*
Affiliation:
Consulting Petroleum Geologist, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Replacement of alumina by ferric iron in the lattice structure features the nontronite member of the montmorillonite group. Chromium, in significant amounts, replaces ferric iron in the lattice structure of some nontronites.

Effect of migration of clay minerals under colloidal suspension and the transfer of true solutions complicate correlations of the chemical composition. Moreover, many nontronites are secondary and occur in fracture zones associated with kaolinitic and halloysitic clay. A tendency of certain nontronites to form lathlike crystals is well known.

Chemical composition of 15 selected nontronites from the United States of America, Germany, and Russia indicate a range of 30 to 60 percent SiO2, and a range of from 25 to 40 percent Fe2O3. Minor constituents are the oxides of magnesium, titanium, ferrous iron, and calcium, and the alkalis, potassium and sodium.

Magnesium percentages found in nontronites are proportional to the value of sigma for octahedral coordination. Ferrous iron is proportional to titanium in montmorillonite, and a similar relationship is observed in the nontronites.

A deficiency in alkalis typifies the composition of montmorillonite and this condition is likewise true in most nontronites. Potassium is limited to a narrow statistical range of between 0.5 to 0.6 ions of Al in tetrahedral coordination against an extreme deficiency of ferric iron and magnesium (combined) of less than 0.05 ion in octahedral coordination. Thus calcium occurs as the principal large cation and is present in nearly all the nontronites studied.

Type
Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals (National Conference on Clays and Clay Minerals) , Volume 5 , February 1956 , pp. 174 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © Clay Minerals Society 1956

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, Victor T., 1945, Effect of migration of clay minerals and hydrous aluminum oxides on the complexity of clay: J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. v. 28, no. 10, p. 265–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, Victor T., and Scheid, Vernon E., 1946, Nontronite in the Columbia river region: Amer. Min. v. 31, p. 294–312.Google Scholar
Berthier, Pierre, 1827, Nontronite nouveau mineral découvert dans le département de la Dordogne: Annales de chimie et de physique, tome 36, p. 22–27.Google Scholar
Bray, E. E., and Stevens, N. P., 1950, The preparation of clay samples for infrared absorption measurement: Reference clay minerals, A. P. I. Res. Project 49, no. 8, p. 73–104.Google Scholar
Erdelyi, Janos, 1927, Unknown hydrosilicate gel from the Rac quarry near Szekes-Fejevar: Magyar Chemiai Folyóirat, Budapest, v. 33, p. 133–135 (Cited by Ross and Hendricks, 1945).Google Scholar
Kerr, P. F., Kulp, J. L., and Hamilton, P. K., 1950, Differential thermal analyses of refer- ence clay mineral specimens: Reference clay minerals, A. P. I. Res. Project 49, no. 3, 48 p.Google Scholar
Larsen, E. S., and Steiger, George, 1928, Dehydration and optical studies of alunogen, nontronite, and griffithite: Amer. J. Sci., 5th ser., v. 15, p. 1–19.Google Scholar
Main, M. S., 1950, Occurrence and microscopic examination of reference clay mineral specimens. Part 2. Microscopic examination: Reference clay minerals, A. P. I. Res. Project 49, no. 5, p. 15–59.Google Scholar
Noll, W., 1930, Zur Kenntniss des Nontronite: Chemie der Erde, Band 5, p. 373–384 (Cited by Ross and Hendricks, 1945).Google Scholar
Ross, C. S., and Hendricks, S. B., 1945, Minerals of the montmorillonite group: U. S. Geol. Survey, Prof. Paper 205-B, p. 23–79.Google Scholar
Scheid, Vernon E., 1945, Preliminary report on Excelsior high-aluminum clay deposits, Spokane Co., Wash.: Unpublished U. S. Geol. Survey manuscript.Google Scholar
Wells, R. C., 1937, Analyses of rocks and minerals from the laboratory of the U. S. Geological Survey, 1914-36: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 878, 134 p.Google Scholar