A mineralogical investigation by X-ray powder diffraction and optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy of partially weathered petrified wood in the Yegua Formation (Eocene) of east-central Texas revealed that microcrystalline quartz present in the unaltered petrified wood has been gradually dissolved and replaced by disordered silica polymorphs (mainly opal-CT) as a result of weathering. This replacement suggests that the reaction sequence: opal-A → opal-CT → quartz, which has been described elsewhere to occur during diagenetic alteration of petrified wood, is apparently reversed when the petrified wood is exposed to low-energy weathering conditions. The relatively high rate of dissolution of the quartz in the petrified wood appears to be related to its small crystallite size. The silica released by the dissolution of the quartz is subsequently reprecipitated as disordered cristobalite-tridymite (opal-CT) and poorly crystalline silica (opal-A) that, in turn, probably converts to opal-CT on aging. Opal-CT is the major silica phase in the completely altered powdery material enclosing the partially weathered petrified wood. The intermediate zone between the altered and unaltered zones contains both quartz and opal-CT.

Oxygen isotope analyses (δO18) of micas that were artificially depleted in K+ indicate little or no isotope exchange during the transformation. The oxidation of iron in K-depleted, iron-rich micas by H2O2 treatment resulted in 1.6 to 4.6% decrease in SO18 due to the fact that the equilibrium fractionation factor is less than the initial difference between the starting δO18 of the fluid and micas. The oxygen isotope ratio of a saponite formed by the weathering of phlogopite showed a 9.7% increase in δO18 due to authigenic recrystallization. These results suggest that oxygen isotope ratios can be used to determine the nature of chemical transformation during the weathering of mica to vermiculite and/or smectite.

The crystal structure of a deuterated synthetic boehmite powder, γ-AIOOD, has been determined by time-of-flight neutron diffraction and Rietveld profile refinement in space group Cmcm to a weighted profile R of 3.71%. Cell dimensions are a = 2.868(1), b = 12.2336(4), and C = 3.6923(1) Å. Alternate space groups for the boehmite structure suggested in the recent literature were found to be unacceptable. Atom positions, bond distances, and angles, with the exception of those involving hydrogen, were nearly identical to those determined by R. J. Hill in 1981 who studied a single crystal of boehmite by X-ray diffraction. All atoms were refined with anisotropic thermal parameters. The b value is 0.013 Å larger, and the thermal ellipsoids of oxygen are slightly more anisotropic than those reported by Hill and may reflect the different samples studied.

Electric potentials as a function of distance were calculated for a model of the double layer on clays in which a surface zone a few water molecules thick has a low dielectric constant. This zone is followed by bulk water with a normal dielectric constant. The double layer potentials were found to be lower than those obtained from the Gouy model, in which water has a normal dielectric constant throughout the double layer.

The transformation of ferrihydrite to goethite and hematite in the pH range 9–13 is retarded by the presence of simple sugars (>- 10-4 M concentration). The retarding effect is related to the extent of adsorption of the sugar on ferrihydrite. Maltose and glucose adsorb strongly and inhibit the transformation by preventing both aggregation and dissolution of the ferrihydrite. Sucrose adsorbs to a much lesser extent than the other sugars and appears to hinder the nucleation and growth of goethite in solution.

Hematite formation relative to that of goethite is favored by the sugars in the order: maltose >glucose ≫ sucrose. Maltose and glucose cause hematite to grow as prismatic crystals rather than as hexagonal plates and also lead to a new type of twinned goethite; one with epitaxial outgrowths of goethite on a prismatic crystal of hematite. In alkaline media glucose and maltose are partly transformed into a mixture of different sugars and hydroxycarboxylic acids, and it is probable that modification of the hematite crystal shape is due to the presence of the degradation products rather than to the nature of the original sugar.

The results of this work suggest that cyclic molecules influence the transformation of ferrihydrite to a lesser extent than do acyclic molecules.

Zeolites and associated minerals occur in a tholeiitic basaltic pillow lava sequence that makes up part of the Eocene Siletz River Volcanics in the central Coast Range, Oregon. Regional zoning of zeolite assemblages is not apparent; the zeolites formed in joints, fractures, and interstices, although most occur in central cavities of basalt pillows. The zeolites and associated minerals identified, in general order of paragenetic sequence, are smectite, pyrite, calcite (small spheres), thomsonite, natrolite, analcime, scolecite, mesolite, stilbite, heulandite, apophyllite, chabazite, mordenite, calcite (scalenohedra and twinned rhombohedra), laumontite, and amethystine quartz. Common three-mineral assemblages are: natrolite-analcime-stilbite, stilbite-heulandite-chabazite, stilbite-apophyllite-chabazite, and natrolite-mesolite-laumontite.

Alteration of basaltic glass, which was initially abundant, appears to have been an important factor in formation of the zeolites. Isotopic data suggest that zeolitization occurred during a low-temperature (60°–70°C) submarine hydrothermal event, or by reactions of cold (∼10°C) meteoric water with basalt over a long time. The occurrence of different mineral assemblages in cavities of adjacent basalt pillows indicates that these minerals crystallized in closed systems that were isolated as fractures and joints were sealed by deposition of smectite and early zeolites. Although the total chemical composition of the mineral assemblages in cavities is similar, different mineral species formed because of the sensitivity of zeolite minerals to slight variations in physical and chemical conditions within individual cavities.

Manganiferous karst bauxites are rare on a worldwide scale. One such body, recently mined at Kincsesbánya, Hungary, has been studied by chemical, petrographic, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopic, and energy dispersive X-ray analytical techniques. The bauxite deposits of Kinesesbánya are of Paleocene to Lower Eocene age; however, the enrichment of manganese in them was a much later, epigenetic process. Lithiophorite is the main Mn mineral in this bauxite and occurs chiefly in dusters of < 1-μm size crystallites. Well-developed crystallites, however, 5–10 μm in size, line the walls of many microfissures and voids.

The oxidation of pyritic bauxite and lignitic clays in the overlying beds apparently mobilized finely disseminated Mn and Fe. Downward-migrating acidic solutions were gradually neutralized, and Mn and Fe minerals precipitated. The manganiferous bauxite was found only along the eastern rim of heavily eroded Middle Eocene sedimentary rocks. Here, epigenetic oxidation and mobilization were optimum. Farther to the east, pyrite-rich overburden and bauxite were apparently eroded away before Fe and Mn could be mobilized.

In alkaline media and at 70°C dilute suspensions of ferrihydrite transformed to goethite between pH 11.2 and 14 and to a mixture of goethite and hematite above and below this pH range. Increasing the temperature of the transformation or the concentration of the suspension reduced the pH range in which goethite alone formed. The morphology of goethite was chiefly a function of the pH of the system. Acicular crystals formed at all pHs and exclusively above pH 12.2. Epitaxial twinned crystals predominated at pHs below 11, and twins free from hematite formed at higher pHs. Increasing the suspension concentration, ionic strength, or temperature extended the pH range over which twinned crystals formed. Electron micrographs showed that twins formed mainly during the initial stage of the transformation, whereas acicular crystals formed over a longer period. Thus, the twins appeared to nucleate in the ferrihydrite; nucleation of acicular particles took place in solution.

The effects of reduction and reoxidation of octahedral Fe3+ on the exchange of structural hydrogen in nontronite were determined using tritium (3H) as a label element. The uptake of H from the surrounding solution of nontronite suspensions increased as the reduction of structural Fe3+ increased. Similarly, the loss of H from the structure increased as the reduction increased. The results are generally consistent with a reduction mechanism involving the loss of structural OH, leaving the affected Fe sites with less than six-fold coordination. The attenuation of increased negative charge on the clay layer, however, was less than predicted by such a mechanism.

During the reoxidation of reduced nontronite in suspension, about one-third of the H remaining as part of the structure following reduction was lost, whereas twice that amount of H was incorporated into the structure from the surrounding solution. A reoxidation mechanism is proposed whereby H2O from the surrounding solution is incorporated into the mineral structure followed by the elimination of a hydrogen ion, returning the Fe to six-fold coordination. This mechanism implies the reversibility of Fe reduction in nontronite.

The Cs selectivity of several natural zeolitic tuffs and synthetic zeolites was measured. Phillipsite-rich tuffs from California and Nevada exchanged 13.5 and 23.7%, respectively, of the Cs present in simulated alkaline defense waste containing 0.00025 M CsCl in 5.5 M NaCl-NaOH solution from the Savannah River Plant, Aiken, South Carolina; whereas mordenite-rich tuffs from Arizona and Nevada exchanged less than 12.7%. The immobilization or fixation of Cs in phillipsite unlike other zeolites can be achieved by heating the zeolite at 600°C for 4 hr in air and collapsing the silicate (aluminate) tetrahedral rings around the Cs ions to produce a Cs-feldspar-type phase. Treatment of the Cs-exchanged phillipsite-rich tuff at 800° to 1000°C resulted in pollucite, CsAlSi2O6, which also “locks in” the Cs ions in its structure. The fixation of Cs exchanged in phillipsite can also be achieved by the formation of pollucite upon hydrothermal treatment at 300°C and 30 MPa pressure within 12 hr. These results suggest that phillipsite-rich tuffs are good candidates for Cs immobilization by heat treatment at low temperatures after they have been used as sorbents in waste decontamination.

The synthesis of 10-Å hydrated kaolinite was accomplished by: (1) direct reaction of HF with a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-kaolinite intercalate and water washing; (2) methanol washing of a DMSO-kaolinite intercalate followed by reaction with any alkali fluoride salt and water washing; and (3) room-temperature (RT) water-washing of a methanol-washed DMSO-kaolinite intercalate. In all syntheses the optimum yield required a kaolinite in which DMSO was bound strongly to the interlayer surface. In the first synthesis, water inclusion between clay layers appeared to be facilitated by the reduction of cohesive interlayer forces brought about by replacement of surface and edge OH− by F−. The fluorination reaction was accomplished either by direct reaction of HF or by HF produced through the hydrolysis of NH4F at 60°C. In the second synthesis, intercalated DMSO was replaced by methanol. F− solvated readily in methanol but not in DMSO. Consequently, F− produced through hydrolysis of the alkali fluoride salt entered the interlayer space and contributed to the fluorination reaction. Furthermore, the diffusion of methanol out of the interlayer space during the RT-washing step was slowed by F≈ solvation which aided the exchange of methanol for water. High yields of 10-Å kaolinite hydrate were obtained irrespective of choice of alkali fluoride salt. The third synthesis was dependent on matching the diffusion of methanol out of the interlayer space with diffusion of water into this space. At room temperature the diffusion rates were close enough to maintain the clay in the expanded state throughout the hydration process, and high yields of 10-Å kaolinite hydrate were obtained. At 60°C the diffusion rates were too dissimilar, and very low yields of hydrate were obtained.

Boron adsorption on 2-0.2-μm size fractions of kaolinite at 25° ± 2°C at pH values between 6.0 and 10.5 was studied. The kaolinite sample was pretreated to remove any surface oxide and hydroxide coatings. The initial concentrations of boron in solution ranged between 2 and 10 mg/liter with either KClO4 or Ca(ClO4)2 as background electrolyte at constant ionic strength of 0.09 ± 0.01 mole/liter. Boron speciation in equilibrium solutions was calculated by using the chemical equilibrium computer program GEOCHEM. The adsorption of boron on kaolinite in either medium showed similar dependence on pH and initial boron concentrations. Boron adsorption at higher pHs was noticeably higher in Ca(ClO4)2 medium as compared to KClO4 medium. These differences were attributed to the formation and adsorption of CaB(OH4)+ ion-pair species.

Transmission and analytical electron microscopy have been used to study the diagenesis of the trioctahedral component of phyllosilicates (principally chlorite) in argillaceous core samples (depths of 1750, 2450, and 5500 m) from the Gulf Coast. Chlorite was observed as 100-150-Å thick packets intergrown within mixed-layer illite/smectite in the 2450-m sample and was more abundant and larger in packet thickness in the 5500-m sample. The chlorite is disordered in stacking sequence as characterized by diffuseness of reflections with k ≠ 3n in electron diffraction patterns. Berthierine (7-Å) was locally found to be intercalated within chlorite layers. Chlorite from the 5500-m sample is iron-rich and has an average chemical formula of Fe3.1Mg1.1Al2.7Si2.8O10(OH)8. This chemical composition and textural relations suggest that the chlorite formed within mixed-layer illite/smectite utilizing Fe and Mg released from the smectite during its conversion to illite. The berthierine is nearly identical in chemical composition with the coexisting chlorite although it may have a slightly higher Fe content. The 7-Å berthierine is probably a metastable precursor of the chlorite and may be diagnostic of the diagenetic environment.

Iron salts react readily with calcite in oxidizing calcareous environments to produce solid phase Fe-oxides. These reactions represent important processes in aqueous, geologic, and pedogenic environments. In the present investigation, Fe-oxides were precipitated from Fe(ClO4)2 solutions on undisturbed calcite grains in aqueous suspension. In this way it was possible to investigate the sequence of events in the crystallization process. Following an initial precipitation on the calcite grains, a period of slow growth of lepidocrocite was noted wherein 4-μm euhedral platelets formed with uniform orientation perpendicular to the calcite surface. The slow growth and highly crystalline nature of the Fe-oxide product may be partially due to the diffusion barrier formed by the growing oxide crystal mass which influenced rate of movement of HCO3− to the dissolved Fe phase and Fe ions and H+ towards the calcite surface. Upon continued aging, the supernate became noticeably opaque. As the suspended nuclei settled, new surfaces for crystal growth were provided which resulted in somewhat less crystalline lepidocrocite and goethite.

The particle size distribution, total and exchangeable Mg, and mineralogical compositions were determined on eight well-drained, noncultivated subsoils from Pennsylvania. No correlation was found between the clay content and total Mg (r =.29), or between the clay content and exchangeable Mg (r =.35). Serpentine, talc, and hypersthene were found in the very fine sand and silt fractions of soils having relatively high exchangeable Mg. Mica and 14-Å clay minerals were the only Mg-bearing minerals noted in the same fractions of soils having relatively low exchangeable Mg. Of the Mg-bearing clay minerals found in the clay fractions (smectite, vermiculite, chlorite, illite, and interstratified chlorite/vermiculite), only smectite decreased as the exchangeable Mg in the soils decreased. Two distinctly different distribution patterns of Mg were found for soils having relatively high and low exchangeable Mg. The former soils showed a decreasing Mg content as the particle size decreased, and the latter soils showed the opposite. Exchangeable Mg correlated significantly with the amount of Mg in whole soil, sand, and silt, but not with the amount of Mg in the clay, an indication that sand and silt but not clay were the important sources of exchangeable Mg in these soils.

Small-angle X-ray powder diffraction analyses and high-resolution electron microscopy of allophane samples (SiO2/Al2O3 ratio, 1.12 to 1.68) showed that allophanes consist of nearly identical spherical particles with diameters of about 40 Å and retain their characteristic “hollow” spherical morphology at different ambient moisture and even after dehydroxylation by heating at 500° to 600°C. Unheated allophane samples gave another X-ray powder diffraction band whose maximum position varied from 12.3 to 14.5 A depending on their SiO2/Al2O3 ratio. The appearance of this band may denote some long-range ordering in the structure of allophane. Unlike the spherical particles of allophane, the tube unit of imogolite collapsed on dehydroxylation. This observation suggests that imogolite and allophane are different in their framework structures and that a Si- or Si(Al)-tetrahedral sheet rather than an Al-octahedral sheet constitutes the framework structure of allophane, irrespective of its SiO2/Al2O3 ratio.

Three methods were investigated to separate palygorskite from mixtures of clay minerals in soils and sediments. The methods were based on the hydrophobic properties of a dodecylammonium-smectite complex and used the <0.2-μm fractions of reference palygorskites that contained smectite and sepiolite impurities. Palygorskite was separated from dodecylammonium-clay complexes by: (1) selective dispersion of palygorskite in H2O; (2) selective extraction of palygorskite by a water:decanol phase separation; and (3) selective extraction of palygorskite by a water: nitrobenzene phase separation. Whereas all three methods resulted in palygorskite separation, selective dispersion was the simplest and employed the more desirable reagents. Small amounts of relatively pure palygorskite in the <0.2-μm fractions were concentrated from palygorskite-containing clays from Texas, Saudi Arabia, and Libya as shown by X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy data. A sepiolite impurity in the Georgia palygorskite was concentrated with the palygorskite. Hydrolysis of the dodecylammonium-smectite complex was suggested by the decrease in d-spacing of some samples after the extensive washing necessary for dispersion. An appreciable amount of the fibrous mineral was intimately associated with layer silicates and could not be separated.

Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were used to establish the crystal chemistry of several Al-rich smectites. The statistical analyses were carded out on 78 samples taken from the literature which were classified on the basis of their physicochemical properties. A strong discrimination exists between beidellites and montmorillonites, ‘non-ideal’ montmorillonites and ‘ideal’ montmorillonites, and Wyoming-type and Cheto-type montmorillonites. Of the Cheto-type montmorillonites, the Tatatilla-type samples are strongly discriminated, whereas the distinction between Chambers- and Otay-types is not strong. AlIV, AlVI, Fe, Mg, and Ca are generally important discriminating variables, whereas the tetrahedral portion of the layer charge, commonly used as a discriminating factor among these minerals, is only moderately significant.