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Green Earth Pigment from the Kadaň Region, Czech Republic: Use of Rare Fe-rich Smectite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

David Hradil ,
Tomáš Grygar ,
Michaela Hrušková ,
Petr Bezdička ,
Kamil Lang ,
Oldřich Schneeweiss  and
Marek Chvátal
David Hradil*
Affiliation:
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR, 250 68 Řez, Czech Republic
Tomáš Grygar
Affiliation:
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR, 250 68 Řez, Czech Republic
Michaela Hrušková
Affiliation:
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR, 250 68 Řez, Czech Republic
Petr Bezdička
Affiliation:
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR, 250 68 Řez, Czech Republic
Kamil Lang
Affiliation:
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR, 250 68 Řez, Czech Republic
Oldřich Schneeweiss
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics of Materials AS CR, Žižkova 22, 616 62 Brno, Czech Republic
Marek Chvátal
Affiliation:
Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague 2, Czech Republic
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: hradil@iic.cas.cz
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Abstract

A collection of green earths belonging to traditional artists’ pigments was examined in terms of mineralogy and provenance. The studied specimens included both mineralogical reference compounds and selected commercially available artists’ pigments, and contained green micas (glauconite or celadonite), chlorite, or smectite as pigmenting agents. The samples were examined by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis)-near-IR diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy and voltammetry of microparticles. Particular attention was paid to the Kadaň green earth, mined until the 20th century in the West Bohemia deposit. The Greene-Kelly charge-reduction test, detailed description of non-basal diffraction patterns and characteristic vibrations in the mid-IR spectra were used to classify the major pigmenting agent of the Kadaň green earth as ferruginous smectite with separately diffracting saponite-like clusters. The smectite contains ∼15% Fe, mainly in the trivalent form, a detectable fraction of Fe in tetrahedral sites, and it is accompanied by a significant amount of Ti-bearing relict minerals due to its volcanogenic origin. On the contrary, in green micas (glauconite and celadonite) the Ti content is much smaller. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was found suitable for distinguishing Fe as a constituent of free Fe oxides from Fe in the clay structure. It was also found to be useful for discriminating between green micas and smectites.

Keywords

Artists’ PigmentsCeladoniteFerruginous SmectiteGlauconiteGreen Earths
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 52 , Issue 6 , December 2004 , pp. 767 - 778
Copyright
Copyright © 2004, The Clay Minerals Society

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