Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 July 2018
Seven diagenetic illitie clays have been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy to characterize the forms of iron. Four specimens had measurable amounts of iron oxide impurity phases, accounting for up to ∼95% of the total Fe. Goethite, microcrystalline and probably aluminous, was identified as the oxide phase in three of these samples, the other containing hematite. This latter sample was also the only one which had tetrahedral Fe(III). Five of the samples contained measurable amounts of Fe(II), but the aluminosilicate Fe was present largely as 6-coordinated Fe(III) which had two distinctly different sets of parameters. These results are discussed in terms of the structural properties of illites.