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A novel approach to the study of the development of the Chalk’s smectite assemblage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

X. F. Hu ,
D. Long  and
C. V. Jeans
X. F. Hu
Affiliation:
Editorial Office, Journal of Palaeogeography, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), 20 Xueyuan Road, P.O. Box 902, Beijing 100083, China
D. Long
Affiliation:
Willow View, 46 Litcham Road, Mileham, Norfolk, PE32 2PT, UK
C. V. Jeans*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK
*
*E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Detrital, volcanic and diagenetic origins have been used to explain the smectite clay assemblage that characterizes the Upper Cretaceous Chalk of Europe. To further the understanding of how clays of different origins may have converged to this characteristic clay mineral assemblage a new approach is put forward for their investigation. This is based upon (1) the correlation that exists between the trace element and stable isotope geochemistry of the calcite cements preserved within Chalk brachiopods and the various diagenetic phases of early lithification and cementation recognized in the Chalk, and (2) an understanding of the process of late diagenetic cementation that has caused regional differences in the hardness of the Chalk. It is suggested that each phase of lithification and associated calcite cementation may preserve the different clay assemblages at various stages in their convergence to the characteristic Chalk smectite assemblage.

Keywords

Upper CretaceousChalklithificationhardgroundscalcite cementsmectite claysstable isotopestrace elementsdiagenesis
Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 277 - 297
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2014 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2014

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