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Illite-smectites and the influence of burial diagenesis on the geochemical cycling of nitrogen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

P. A. Schroeder  and
A. A. McLain
P. A. Schroeder
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Department of Geology, Athens, GA 30602-2501, USA
A. A. McLain
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Department of Geology, Athens, GA 30602-2501, USA
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Abstract

Fixed nitrogen in illite-smectites (I-S) has been measured for Miocene shales from a Gulf of Mexico oil well. Fixed N values for the <0.2 µm fraction increase with depth from 150 ppm (1000 m) to a maximum of 360 ppm (3841 m). This increase is coincident with illitization from 41% I in I-S to 75% I in I-S. Below 3841 m, fixed N values decrease to 190 ppm (4116 m) while I-S is maintained with a slight increase from 77 to 82%. The changes in fixed N with increasing illitization are consistent with the notion that illitization proceeds via both transformation and dissolution/ precipitation reaction mechanisms. The trend of decreasing fixed N in illitic I-S is compatible with surface-controlled crystal growth and Ostwald ripening mechanisms for illitization. The trend may also be linked to the timing of maximum NH] release from kerogen maturation during oil generation. The changing rate of NH+4 liberation from organic matter and multiple illitization reaction mechanisms can result in complex N geochemical cycling pathways throughout early diagenesis to metamorphism.

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , December 1998 , pp. 539 - 546
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1998

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