Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-n9wrp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-18T18:41:01.812Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Kaolin Mineralogy of Clays in Paleosol Profiles on the Late-Miocene Sediments in Penghu Islands (Pescadores), Taiwan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

Wei-Min Wang ,
Hsueh-Wen Yeh ,
Pei-Yuan Chen  and
Ming-Kuang Wang
Wei-Min Wang
Affiliation:
Soil Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Hsueh-Wen Yeh
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Pei-Yuan Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Ming-Kuang Wang
Affiliation:
Soil Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Clay mineral compositions from 2 paleosol profiles (Chu-Wan, CW, and Shiao-Men Yu, SMY, profiles) on the late-Miocene sediments in Penghu Islands (Pescadores), Taiwan, are characterized by random X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By the clay assemblage of the paleosol profile, we want to explore the probable formation mode of the Penghu paleosols.

The paleosol profiles in study are overlain by a layer of basalt flow. However, the clay mineralogy of the 2 paleosols was not altered metasomatically after burial. Results show that 3 distinctive zones of different dominating kaolin-group minerals are apparent in the profiles. In descending order, they are: 1) spheroidal, hollow 7Å-halloysite, 2) platy, irregular-shaped and disordered kaolinite, and 3) platy, irregular-shaped, disordered kaolinite. The relative crystallinity of kaolin minerals of the 3 layers is: layer 2 > layer 3 > layer 1. On the basis of the XRD, TEM analyses and the crystallinity calculations, the distribution of kaolin in Penghu paleosol profiles appears to be unique. Penghu paleosol profiles show systematic change in kaolin crystallinity and polymorphs with depth. Because the clay type is heterogeneous within the profile, this represents that Penghu paleosol profiles were polypedogenic.

The contact between the upper basalt and the paleosol is the erosion surface, so we do not know exactly what the thickness of the original paleosol was. The first layer (about 20 cm) of the profiles appears to be constituents of the original paleosol. It contains high contents of pedogenic (in situ weathering) hematites and 7Å-halloysites, which implies that the local climate of the Penghu Islands at late Miocene was warm and humid. Intense leaching and dry/wet cycle should be the reason for high contents of halloysite (>60%) in the Penghu paleosols. Laterization was the probable pedogenic process for the formation of the paleosols.

Keywords

7Å-HalloysiteKaoliniteLate MioceneLaterizationPaleosol
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , February 1998 , pp. 1 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © 1998, The Clay Minerals Society

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

Banfield, J.F. and Eggleton, R.A., 1990 Analytical transmission electron microscope studies of plagioclase, muscovite, and K-feldspar weathering Clays Clay Miner 38 77–89 10.1346/CCMN.1990.0380111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bird, M.I. and Chivas, A.R., 1989 Stable-isotope geochronology of the Australian regolith Geochim Cosmochim Acta 53 3239–3256 10.1016/0016-7037(89)90104-X.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brindley, G.W., Brindley, G.W. and Brown, G., 1980 Order-disorder in clay mineral structures Crystal structures of clay minerals and their X-ray diffraction London Mineral Soc. 125–195.Google Scholar
Chen, P.Y., 1992 A review and discussion about the strati-graphic subdivisions and some problems concerning the structural geology of the Peng-Hu Islands. Central Geological Survey, R.O.C. 9–38.Google Scholar
Crowley, T.J. and North, G.R., 1991 Paleoclimatology New York Oxford Univ Pr. 183–211.Google Scholar
Curtis, C.D., 1990 Aspects of climatic influence on the clay mineralogy and geochemistry of soils, paleosols and clastic sedimentary rocks J Geol Soc (London) 147 351–357 10.1144/gsjgs.147.2.0351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, J.B., Dixon, J.B. and Weed, S.B., 1989 Kaolin and serpentine group minerals Minerals in soil environments Madison, WI Soil Sci Soc Am. 467–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, J.B. and McKee, T.R., 1974 Internal and external morphology of tubular and spheroidal halloysite particles Clays Clay Miner 22 127–137 10.1346/CCMN.1974.0220118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuchtbauer, H., 1974 Sediments and sedimentary rocks 1 W. Germany: E. Schweizerbartche 24.Google Scholar
Giral, S. Savin, S.M. Girard, J.P. and Nahon, D.B., 1993 The oxygen isotope geochemistry of kaolinites from lateritic profiles: Implications for pedology and paleoclimatology Chem Geol 107 237–240 10.1016/0009-2541(93)90182-I.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haq, B.U., 1982 Climatic acme events in the sea and on land Climate in earth history Washington, DC National Academy Pr. 126–132.Google Scholar
Haq, B.U. Hardenbol, J. and Vail, P.R., 1987 Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic Science 235 1156–1167 10.1126/science.235.4793.1156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hassanipak, A.A. and Eslinger, E., 1985 Mineralogy, crystallinity, O18/O16, and D/H of Georgia kaolins Clays Clay Miner 33 99–106 10.1346/CCMN.1985.0330203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinckley, D.N. and Swineford, A., 1963 Variability in “crystallinity” values among the kaolin deposits of the coastal plain of Georgia and South California Clays Clay Miner, Proc 11th Natl Conf; 1962 Ottawa, Ontario. New York Pergamon Pr. 229–235.Google Scholar
Holland, H.D. Zbinden, E.A., Lerman, A. and Meybeck, M., 1988 Paleosols and the evolution of the atmosphere: Part I Physical and chemical weathering in geological cycles 61–82 10.1007/978-94-009-3071-1_4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackson, M.L., 1969 Soil chemical analysis—Advanced course Madison, WI Univ of Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Jenny, H. and Jenny, H., 1980 Pedogenesis of horizons and profiles The soil resource, origin and behavior New York Springer-Verlag 175 10.1007/978-1-4612-6112-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kunze, G.W. Dixon, J.B. and Klute, A., 1986 Pretreatment of mineralogical analysis Methods of soil analysis. Part 1 91–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, C.Y., 1994 Chronology and geochemistry of basaltic rocks from Penghu Islands and mafic dikes from east Fujian .Google Scholar
Mozley, P.S. and Wersin, P., 1992 Isotopic composition of siderite as an indicator of depositional environment Geology 20 817–820 10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<0817:ICOSAA>2.3.CO;2.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Retallack, G.J., 1988 The field identification of paleosols Paleosols and weathering through geologic time: Principles and applications 216 1–20 10.1130/SPE216-p1.Google Scholar
Romero, R. Robert, M. Elsass, F. and Garcia, C., 1992 Abundance of halloysite neoformation in soils developed from crystalline rocks. Contribution of transmission electron microscopy Clay Miner 27 35–46 10.1180/claymin.1992.027.1.04.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singer, A., 1979 The paleoclimatic interpretation of clay minerals in soils and weathering profiles Earth Sci Rev 15 303–326 10.1016/0012-8252(80)90113-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, L.A. Chamberlain, C.P. Reynolds, R.C. Jr and Johnson, G.D., 1996 Oxygen isotope evidence of climate change of Mountain Belts from pedogenic smectite in the Himalayan Molasse Clay Miner Soc 33rd Annu Meet, Prog and Abstr. 148.Google Scholar
van Houten, F.B. and Nairn, A.E.M., 1961 Climatic significance of red beds Descriptive paleoclimatology New York Interscience Publ. 89–139.Google Scholar
Wang, W.M. Yeh, H.W. Wang, M.K. and Chen, P.Y., 1996 A study of some paleosols in Penghu Islands J Chinese Agric Chem Soc 34 417–428.Google Scholar
Ward, C.R. and Roberts, F.I., 1990 Occurrence of spherical halloysite in bituminous coals of the Sydney Basin, Australia Clays Clay Miner 38 501–506 10.1346/CCMN.1990.0380506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wollast, R. Chou, L., Lerman, A. and Meybeck, M., 1988 Rate control of weathering of silicate minerals at room temperature and pressure Physical and chemical weathering in geochemical cycles 11–32 10.1007/978-94-009-3071-1_2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodruff, F. Savin, S.M. and Douglas, R.G., 1981 Miocene stable isotope record: A detailed deep Pacific Ocean study and its paleoclimatic implications Science 212 665 10.1126/science.212.4495.665.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed