Electrical measurements are used in various fields of geoscience and technology, e.g. gas/oil exploration or landslide-barrier monitoring. Although clays are amongst the most conducting geomaterials their electrical properties are not yet fully understood. For example, in a recent high-level-radioactive-waste repository large-scale test, a bentonite barrier was monitored geoelectrically. To facilitate interpretation of the results, the reasons for the observed differences in the electrical conductivity must be understood (e.g. changes in water content, temperature, salinity of pore water, etc.). To improve understanding of the electrical properties of clay minerals, in situ measurements must be combined with laboratory measurements. In situ measurements allow the characterization of the material in its natural state and laboratory measurements, for small sample amounts, allow the user to vary relevant parameters systematically such as water content, temperature, the salinity of the pore water, or even the cation population if swelling clay minerals are present. In situ measurements using different electrode distances, from m to cm range, proved that small-scale investigations are essential because of small-scale material heterogeneities. In the laboratory, all the relevant parameters mentioned above can be controlled more easily for small sample amounts. In the present study three different small-scale devices (SSM1–SSM3) were compared. The geometry factor, K, was determined both by calculation and by a calibration against solutions of different conductivity. Calculated and measured geometry factors were in good agreement. SSM1 and SSM2 — both with four pin-shaped electrodes — were found to be particularly applicable for in situ measurements. SSM2, with point contacts at the tips of the pins, was considered to be an improvement over SSM1 because the effects of both water content and temperature gradients (which are particularly relevant near the surface) were less pronounced using SSM2. SSM3, in which the contacts are placed at the bottom of a 4.5 mL trough, proved to be useful when systematically varying all of the parameters influencing the electrical properties in the laboratory.

Sorption and fixation of Cs by the upland soils of the US Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) have been attributed to micaceous grains consisting mostly of hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite (HIV). Results of experiments to characterize SRS soil samples, to examine aspects of their radiocesium sorption, and to determine how much of their natural Cs is accessible for chemical extraction and isotope dilution are presented in support of mechanistic hypotheses to explain Cs sorption and fixation in HIV grains. The HIV is responsible for most of the soil cation exchange capacity, and concentrations of naturally occurring Cs, Rb, and K in soil samples are closely related to the concentration of HIV. Experiments with 137Cs to examine (1) sorption kinetics, (2) blocking of exchange sites with silver thiourea, and (3) susceptibility of sorbed 137Cs to chemical extraction, support the idea that added Cs is sorbed at different kinds of cation exchange sites in HIV grains. Sites highly selective for Cs but relatively few in number are inferred to exist in interlayer wedge zones within such grains. Little of the naturally occurring Cs in the soil samples was extractable by chemical agents that would remove Cs from ordinary cation-exchange sites and from within non-silicate soil components. Furthermore, most of the natural Cs was inaccessible for isotope dilution under slightly acidic conditions approximating the natural soil environment. These observations support the idea that most of the Cs in these soils has become effectively fixed in the narrower parts of interlayer wedge zones. Control of Cs uptake and fixation by highly Csselective interlayer wedge sites would account for the large distribution coefficients found for 137Cs at the low aqueous Cs concentrations typical of environmental systems and also for the relatively large concentrations of stable Cs in the SRS soils.

A new model is proposed for analysis of the source clays used to create ceramics, based on geographic, petrographic, mineralogical, mineral-chemistry, and geochemical criteria. The development of this model became feasible after the discovery of a Pliocene volcanic clay horizon on NWAegina Island, Greece. The volcanic clay contains smectite, mixed-layer chlorite-smectite, biotite, and palygorskite and has greater feldspar content than the underlying Pliocene marls, which contain R0 mixed-layer illitesmectite, mica, dolomite, serpentine, talc and gypsum, and, in some places, palygorskite. The two units have distinct geochemical characteristics. In general the Pliocene volcanic clay is richer in SiO2, Al3O3, and Fe2O3 and poorer in Na2O, MgO, and P2O2 than the Pliocene marls. The Nb, Zr, Hf, Th, and rare earth element (REE) contents are also significantly greater in the Pliocene volcanic clay and comparable to those of the dacitic rocks of the island, reflecting the volcanic origin of the clay.

The proposed model was used to identify the source-clay materials that were used for the production of ceramics on the island of Aegina (Aeginetan Ware). All five criteria should be considered in any provenance study. The use of individual criteria on their own can lead to ambiguous conclusions. In the present study the geochemical criterion was particularly helpful. It provided robust evidence for the nature of the source clay. The Pliocene volcanic clay horizon and the underlying Pliocene marls are the candidate raw materials for Aeginetan Ware. Although the Pliocene marls have been invoked as raw materials for Greek Bronze Age (~3000–1100 BC) Aeginetan ceramics and are used as raw materials by modern Aeginetan ceramists, the geochemical characteristics of a large set of Bronze Age Greek Aeginetan sherds with fine and coarse fabrics coincide with those of the Pliocene volcanic clay. This comparative and cumulative evidence suggests that the Pliocene volcanic clay was the main source clay for ancient Aeginetan ceramics, regardless of the fabric (coarse or fine) and that admixture of different sources might not be necessary for fine-grained ceramics.

Hydroxymetal-clay complexes, which contain reactive surface hydroxyl groups, have a strong affinity for both heavy-metal cations and oxyanions and hence can serve as efficient sorbents for ionic contaminants. The co-sorptive behavior of heavy-metal cations and oxyanions on the surface of hydroxymetal-clay complexes is not well understood, however. The objective of the present investigation was to help bridge that gap by determining the feasibility of co-sorbing Cd cations and phosphate from aqueous solution to a hydroxyiron-montmorillonite complex (HyFe-mont). A montmorillonite-rich clay from Inner Mongolia, China, was the starting material. The results showed that Cd and phosphate could be sorbed, simultaneously and synergistically, to HyFe-mont without a change in solution pH. Similarly, when phosphate was sorbed before Cd, the sorption capacities were comparable to those obtained in the simultaneous sorption experiment, and the solution pH did not change.When Cd was pre-sorbed, however, the subsequent sorption of both Cd and phosphate decreased as did solution pH. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the binding energies of P2p, Cd3/2, and Cd5/2 were of similar magnitude for both the simultaneous sorption system and the phosphate pre-sorbed system. In addition, the single Cd and Cd pre-sorbed systems had similar Cd3/2 and Cd5/2 binding energies. The combined sorption and XPS results suggested that sorbed phosphate and Cd formed P-bridged ternary complexes on the HyFe-mont surface, contributing to the synergistic uptake of the contaminants in the simultaneous sorption system.

The crystal chemical features of the bulk and the uppermost (001) surface layers of freshly cleaved surfaces of two trioctahedral Fe-rich mica-1M (space group C2/m) polytypes, i.e. a tetraferriphlogopite from an alkaline-carbonatitic complex near Tapira, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and an Fe2+-bearing phlogopite containing less tetrahedral Fe3+ from the Kovdor carbonatite-bearing, alkaline-ultrabasic complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia, are explored here. Mineral-surface effects were investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and compared to the bulk structure derived from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Based on microprobe analysis and the X-ray study, the chemical formulae are [XII](K0.99)[VI](Fe0.082+Fe0.153+Mg2.76Ti0.01)[IV](Fe0.823+Si3.18)O10.37F0.24(OH)1.39 and [XII](K0.94Na0.06)[VI](Fe0.172+Fe0.053+Mg2.75Mn0.01Ti0.05)[IV](Fe0.163+Al0.84Si3.00)O10.21F0.35(OH)1.44 for tetraferriphlogopite and Fe-bearing phlogopite, respectively. The tetrahedrally coordinated sites of the two minerals differ, where Fe-for-Si substitution is at 20.5% in tetra-ferriphlogopite and at 4% in Fe-bearing phlogopite.

The bulk study showed that Fe3+ substitution increases the tetrahedral sheet thickness and the mean tetrahedral edge lengths in tetra-ferriphlogopite compared to Fe-bearing phlogopite. The tetrahedral rotation angle (α) changes remarkably from tetra-ferriphlogopite (α = 10.5°) to the Fe-bearing phlogopite (α = 8.5°), thus indicating a significantly greater initial lateral sheet misfit (leading to a greater tetrahedral ring distortion) between the tetrahedral and the octahedral sheets in the tetra-ferriphlogopite compared to Fe-bearing phlogopite. The Fe3+ substitution for Si and the differences in lateral dimensions of the tetrahedral and octahedral sheets affect the tetrahedral flattening angle (τ), with τ = 109.9° for tetraferriphlogopite and τ = 110.7° for Fe-bearing phlogopite.

The binding energy (BE) of photoelectron peaks in XPS is dependent on the chemical state of atoms and on their local environment at the near surface. The Mg in both phlogopites is bonded to F, with the BE of Mg1s increasing as coordinated oxygen atoms are substituted by fluorine. For Fe-rich phlogopite (BE = 1306.8 eV), the binding energy is greater than for tetra-ferriphlogopite (BE = 1305.9 eV), and this is consistent with the bulk composition having greater F-for-OH substitution in Fe-rich phlogopite (F0.35vs. tetra-ferriphlogopite, F0.24 atoms per formula unit).

Bentonites are candidate materials for high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) repositories and, therefore, are investigated with respect to long-term stability. In order to identify possible bentonite alteration processes, long-term in situ tests are conducted in rock laboratories. The prototype repository in situ experiment (PR) is one of the best examples of this kind of test due to the size of the installation as well as the duration. In the present study, chemical and mineralogical alteration processes of the bentonite MX 80 after an 8 y heating period were investigated. The water content of all samples increased following inflowing Na-Ca-Cl-type granitic groundwater causing cation exchange in the bentonite buffer materials. Exchangeable magnesium was desorbed in the buffer and MgO concentration increased at the bentonite-Cu canister interface; the Mg sink could not be detected, however. CaO also accumulated at this interface mainly as Ca carbonate and Ca sulfate. Cu corrosion products were identified at the bentonite-canister interface by chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and differential thermal analysis. Up to 0.5 mm into the bentonites Cu could be detected by SEM-EDX. No cristobalite dissolution was observed in contrast to other in situ tests in which iron heaters were used. The corrosion products and the lubricant which was added during manufacturing of the bentonite blocks were mixed with the bentonite at the bentonite-canister interface. A quantitative measure of that mixture was the decrease in the cation exchange capacity (CEC). The CEC also reduced in all other samples, however, compared to the CECs of the reference samples, particularly in the warmer deposition hole 5 compared to the colder deposition hole 6. Overall, the PR in situ experiment proved that cation exchange reactions occurred in full-scale bentonite buffer experiments in all bentonite blocks but structural degradation of smectite could not be identified.

A major issue for the oil sand industry is the settling of thin fine tailings (TFT) which are a byproduct of the oil sand extraction process. These tailings are deposited in large ponds and settling takes decades. The aim of the present study was to increase understanding of the role of specific ion types (monovalent/divalent) present in the water in flocculation behavior, and hence the settling of flotation fine tailings of the Athabasca oil sands (which consist predominantly of kaolinite). In this study, two series of measurements were conducted and compared: one with TFT and with varying pH and salinity, and another with kaolinite suspensions with varying pH, salinity, and volume fraction. The volume fraction of kaolinite and TFT used was in the range 0.01–1% volume fraction for any ionic strength or ion. In this range the electrophoretic mobility was constant indicating that there were no particle-particle interactions, a required condition for electrophoretic mobility measurements. Electrokinetic measurements were made as a function of concentration of salt added and pH. The flocculation behavior of both TFT and kaolinite can be linked to the electrokinetic mobility at high ionic strength. The electrophoretic mobility values and therefore the electrokinetic charge of the particles were smaller for divalent salt than for monovalent salt. As a consequence, both kaolinite and fine tailings should and do flocculate more quickly in the presence of a divalent electrolyte during settling-column experiments. The electrophoretic mobility of kaolinite and tailings in electrolytes containing a majority of monovalent ions (NaCl) decreased in absolute values with decreasing pH while their electrophoretic mobility in electrolytes containing a majority of divalent ions (MgCl2) did not depend on pH. The flocculation of the fine tailings in an electrolyte where divalent ions are predominant is therefore not expected to be influenced by pH.

Compacted MX-80 bentonite is a potential backfill material in radioactive-waste repositories. Pore space in MX-80 has been the subject of considerable debate. 3D reconstructions of the pore space based on tomographic methods could provide new insights into the nature of the pore space of compacted bentonites. To date, few such reconstructions have been done because of problems with the preparation of bentonite samples for electron microscopy. The nanoscale intergranular pore space was investigated here by cryo-Focused Ion Beam nanotomography (FIB-nt) applied to previously high-pressure frozen MX-80 bentonite samples. This approach allowed a tomographic investigation of the in situ microstructure related to different dry densities (1.24, 1.46, and 1.67 g/cm3). The FIB-nt technique is able to resolve intergranular pores with radii >10 nm. With increasing dry density (1.24–1.67 g/cm3) the intergranular porosity (>10 nm) decreased from ~5 vol.% to 0.1 vol.%. At dry densities of 1.24 and 1.46 g/cm3, intergranular pores were filled with clay aggregates, which formed a mesh-like structure, similar to the honeycomb structure observed in diagenetic smectite. Unlike ‘typical’ clay gels, the cores of the honeycomb structure were not filled with pure water, but instead were filled with a less dense material which presumably consists of very fine clay similar to a colloid. In the low-density sample this honeycomb-structured material partly filled the intergranular pore space but some open pores were also present. In the 1.46 g/cm3 sample, the material filled the intergranular pores almost completely. At the highest densities investigated (1.67 g/cm3), the honeycomb-structured material was not present, probably because of the lack of intergranular pores which suppressed the formation of the honeycomb framework or skeleton consisting of clay aggregates.

The geochemistry of minerals in intermediate to deep sedimentary rocks (2–10 km depth) is not known sufficiently well to predict accurately the effect of human activities, such as carbon dioxide sequestration or fracking. To carry out real-time experiments, a high-pressure environmental chamber (HPEC) was constructed for in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies to 1000 bars and to 200°C. In the HPEC, a liquid, e.g. a brine, plus sample in suspension, is pressurized by gas, e.g. CH4 or CO2, or liquid, e.g. supercritical CO2. The unique aspect of this chamber is that the sample + liquid (~2 mL) form a dynamic system, and particles can move freely in the liquid while being illuminated by the X-ray beam. Several HPECs were constructed of Ti alloy, stainless steel, or carbon-fiber polyether ketone to be resistant to corrosion under basic or acidic conditions. These HPECs are compatible with standard transmission-mode diffractometers with sealed-tube X-ray sources (Mo radiation is being used at the University of Illinois at Chicago — UIC) or with brilliant X-ray sources. In addition, to allow long-duration studies or, for example, to study the effect of micro-organisms on these mineral reactions, a large-bore (~25 mL) reaction vessel system was devised that could be examined regularly at appropriate P/T conditions or off-line. Calibration of the HPEC and XRD pattern processing is discussed and illustrated. The potential significance of these devices goes beyond understanding the deep sedimentary environment, because materials and reactions can be studied while using nearly any liquid as an immersion agent. As an example, experimental results are given for the d001 values of montmorillonite clay vs. temperatures to 150°C at P(CO2) = 500 bars in a NaCl-rich brine.

The formation conditions of the ferric smectite nontronite are not fully understood. The present study couples experimental and analytical data with field observations in an attempt to constrain the rate and temperature of formation of naturally occurring nontronites from Columbia River Basalt flows. Synthetic Fe-Al-Si gels were incubated at temperatures ranging from 4 to 150°C for 4 weeks. Samples were analyzed using Fe K-edge X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XAFS). Spectra of the synthesized nontronites were compared with spectra of natural samples collected from weathered Columbia River Basalt flows. Cation ordering in the synthetic samples increased with incubation temperature, but the synthetic clays did not approach the degree of crystal ordering of the natural nontronite samples. These observations suggest that highly ordered natural nontronites require longer crystallization times than are typically used in laboratory experiments. The natural samples were found filling open cracks near flow surfaces, indicating that the clays formed at temperatures below the boiling point of water. A comparison of experimental and field timescales with other estimates of nontronite growth rates suggests that natural nontronite crystallization in the region must have occurred at ambient, near-surface temperatures over timescales of up to millions of years.

The stable carbon isotope composition of CO2 occluded in the gibbsite structure is proposed as a potential atmospheric paleo-PCO2 proxy. Analysis of pedogenic gibbsite from a modern Ultisol in the Piedmont of Georgia, USA, was conducted to test the basis for this concept and to help constrain the parameters used to describe physical and biological processes affecting such factors as the respiration rate of CO2. Co-variation of the δ13C and δ18O values with depth along a gradient parallel to the mixing line between the atmosphere and the soil organic material implies that diffusion is the process that determines the stable isotope composition of soil CO2. In the upper 40 cm, the measured δ13C values are not consistent with the expected diffusive depth profile assumed in paleo-PCO2 models. The isotope signature is reset downward in the depth profile with a concentration of the most atmosphere-like δ13C and δ18O values occurring at the top of the Bt horizon by some as-yet-unknown process. Bioturbation, recrystallization, and physical translocation are potential explanations for this observation. Regardless of the process at work, the net effect is an apparent two-component mixing curve between the top of the Bt horizon and deep within the saprolite. In cases where the A horizon is eroded but the Bt horizon is preserved it is possible that δ13C values of gibbsite-occluded CO2 can serve as a proxy for atmospheric paleo-PCO2. Careful textural study of all paleosols is therefore essential to match stable carbon isotope signatures with the horizons preserved. Understanding of modern dynamics and preservation of these isotopic signatures may also be important for those that employ other carbonate proxies.

A comprehensive study of the intercalation of organo-phosphonium salts into Thai bentonite (Mt) was conducted to investigate the influence of the molecular structures of organic moieties, including chain types (alkyl vs. aryl), chain length, and structural symmetry, on their intercalation. A series of quaternary phosphonium salts with systematically varied molecular structures (tetraphenyl phosphonium, TPP-Br; tetrabutyl phosphonium, TBP-Br; tetraoctyl phosphonium, TOP-Br; methyl triphenyl phosphonium, MTPP-Br; and butyl triphenyl phosphonium, BTPP-Br) was intercalated into Mt via an ion-exchange reaction. From thermogravimetric analysis results, tetrabutyl phosphonium-modified Mt (TBP) with shorter alkyl chain length began to decompose at a slightly lower temperature (263 vs. 351°C), yet showed comparable thermal stability (i.e. maximum decomposition temperature) at 470°C, compared to tetraoctyl phosphonium-modified Mt (TOP). Aryl phosphonium-modified Mt (TPP) showed a higher thermal decomposition temperature (576 vs. 470°C) than those of alkyl phosphonium-modified Mts (TBP and TOP). Introducing short alkyl chains into the aryl phosphonium moiety (MTPP, BTPP) caused a slight decrease in thermal decomposition temperature, but an increase in cation loadings of their modified Mts (71 and 73%, respectively). X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the flexibility of alkyl chains in TBP yielded smaller increases in basal spacing, i.e. lower degree of intercalation, compared to the rigid aryl structure in TPP. Increasing chain length resulted in greater basal spacing in alkyl phosphonium-modified Mts (1.67 nm. in TBP vs. 2.46 nm. in TOP). Such an effect, however, was less significant in aryl phosphonium-modified Mt.

The Güzelyurt kaolinite deposit is an important source of raw material for the ceramics industry in Turkey. No detailed mineralogical or geochemical characterizations of this deposit have been undertaken previously and these were the goals of the present study. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite occurs along a fault zone in the Late Miocene Gödeles ignimbrite, which consists of dacitic and andesitic tuffs. Horizontal and vertical mineralogical zonations with gradual transitions were observed within the alteration zone. The inner kaolinite, alunite, and 7 Å halloysite zones progress horizontally outward to a smectite zone; and native sulfur- and cinnabar-bearing alunite with 7 Å halloysite and porous silica zones increase as one progresses up through the profile. Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide phases associated with native sulfur and cinnabar demonstrate that multiple hydrothermal-alteration processes resulted in kaolinization and alunitization of the deposit. The kaolinization of feldspar, Fe-(oxyhydr)oxidation of hornblende and mica, the presence of kaolinite as stacked and, locally, book-like forms, and of 7 Å halloysite tubes, and smectite flakes as a blanket on altered volcanic relicts indicate an authigenic origin for this deposit. The leaching of Si + Mg + K and Ba + Rb, the retention of Sr, the enrichment of light rare earth elements relative to the heavy rare earth elements, and the negative Eu anomalies suggest that fractionation of plagioclase and hornblende occurred within the volcanics. The oxygen- and hydrogen-isotopic values of the kaolinite, 7 Å halloysite, smectite, and smectite + kaolinite fractions reflect a steam-heated environment at temperatures in excess of 100°C. An increase in the δD and δ18O values of 7 Å halloysite relative to kaolinite suggests its formation under steam-heated magmatic water, the mixing of steam and meteoric water near the surface, and evaporation. The oxygen- and sulfur-isotopic compositions of alunite suggest the direct influence of steam-derived sulfur. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite deposit is inferred to have formed after an increase in the (Al±Fe)/Si ratio and the leaching of alkali elements, which are driven by the sulfur-bearing low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of feldspar, hornblende, and volcanic glass under acidic conditions within the Neogene dacitic and andesitic tuffs.

The influence of water vapor on bentonites or smectites is of interest in many different fields of applied mineralogy such as nuclear-waste sealing or casting in the foundry industry. The water vapor affects the smectite surface and perhaps its structure probably leading to mostly unfavorable changes in its properties. In this first part of the present study, the influence of hot water vapor (200°C) on the physicochemical and mineralogical properties of smectite-group minerals was studied. After the steam treatment, turbidity measurements, methylene-blue sorption, water adsorption, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were measured on both untreated and treated samples. Mineralogical changes were monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to measure O, Al, and Si. Only a few parameters showed differences between the untreated and vapor-treated samples. Sedimentation volumes (SV) decreased following the treatment. As shown by XRD and XPS, the crystalline structure of smectite remained unaffected by the steam treatment. Equivalent sphere diameters (ESD) were not affected systematically by the steam treatment. Differences in CEC values between untreated and treated samples were observed, but only for smectites with monovalent interlayer cations. From the variety of different measurements the conclusion of the present study was that steam treatment changes the charge properties at or near the smectite particle surface.

A version of thermoporometry dedicated to analyzing the pore network of expanding clays is proposed here. The blurred, wide Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) peak obtained upon the melting of a frozen clay sample is processed by means of a deconvolution analysis based on searching for such a temperature distribution of “pulse-like heat events” which, convolved with the apparatus function, gives a minimal deviation from the observed heat flux function, i.e. the calorimetric signal. As a result, a sharp thermogram was obtained which can be transformed easily into the pore-size distribution curve. Results obtained for samples of two Clay Minerals Society Source Clays (montmorillonites SWy-2 from Wyoming and STx-1b from Texas) at different water contents indicate a greater resolution and sensitivity than that achieved by classical thermoporometry using the unprocessed DSC signal. Phenomena corresponding to the evolution of the pore network as a function of the water content have been detected in samples with large water contents subjected to free drying prior to the experiments.

Because relatively little information about the crystal-growth process of smectite is available, the process was assessed here by studying the size and shape of nontronite particles synthesized at six different temperatures from 75 to 150°C over a period of 4 weeks.

The morphology of nontronites was studied using low-pressure isotherms of argon adsorption at 77 K, a method which enables the measurement of the basal and edge surface areas of the nontronite particles and of their mean diameter and thickness. During the crystal growth of nontronite, the mean particle length increased whereas their thickness (and the number of stacked layers) did not vary significantly.

A specific two-dimensional crystal-growth process was observed for smectite via the lateral extension of the layers. This process also appears to occur during the growth of neoformed natural smectite.

The Upper Miocene Mustafapas-a member of the Ürgüp Formation in the Cappadocia region consists predominantly of mudstones, sandstone, and conglomerate lenses with ignimbrite and basalt intercalations. The mudstones are an important source of raw materials for the ceramics industry in Turkey. A detailed mineralogical, geochemical, and genesis study of these materials has not been performed previously and the present study aims to fill that gap. The characteristics of mudstones of the Mustafapas-a member were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and chemical analyses. Weathering products of ophiolitic and pyroclastic rocks were transported into the tectonically subsided zone where they accumulated as fluvial and lacustrine deposits.Weathering in the mudstones is evidenced by smectite flakes associated with relict pyroxene, rod-like amphibole, feldspar, and volcanic glass. The chemical composition of mudstones and their distribution suggest that the depositional basin was supplied with ophiolitic material in the south and ignimbrite material in the north. This interpretation is based on an increase in the quantity of feldspar and opal-A and a decrease in the Fe2O3+MgO/Al2O3+SiO2 ratio from south to north in the study area. The northward increases in Light Rare Earth Elements/Heavy Rare Earth Elements, La/Yb, Zr/Ni and Zr/Co ratios and Nb, Ba, Rb, Sr, and Eu in the mudstones of the Mustafapas-a member with positive Eu anomalies suggest that the Fe, Mg, Al, and Si required to form smectite were supplied mainly through the decomposition of amphiboles, pyroxenes, feldspars, and volcanic glass during weathering processes. After the deposition of mudstones, relative increases in evaporation-controlled Ca, K, and Al in pore water favored the partial dissolution of Ca-bearing minerals and smectite flakes and in situ precipitation of calcite and traces of illite fibers under alkaline micro-environmental conditions during early diagenesis.

The nano-aluminosilicate mineral allophane is common in soils formed from parent materials containing volcanic ash and often contains Fe. Due to its lack of long-range order, the structure of allophane is still not completely understood. In the present study, Fe K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) was used to examine Fe-containing natural and synthetic allophane and imogolite samples. Results indicated that Fe substitutes for octahedrally coordinated Al in allophane, and that Fe exhibits a clustered distribution within the octahedral sheet. Iron adsorbed on allophane surfaces is characterized by spectral features distinct from those of isomorphically substituted Fe and of ferrihydrite. Fe adsorbed on the allophane surfaces probably exists as small polynuclear complexes exhibiting Fe-Fe edge sharing, similar to poorly crystalline Fe oxyhydroxides. The XAFS spectra of natural allophane and imogolite indicate that the Fe in the minerals is a combination of isomorphically substituted and surface-adsorbed Fe. In the synthetic Fe-substituted allophanes, the Fe XAFS spectra did not vary with the Al:Si ratio. Theoretical fits of the extended XAFS (EXAFS) spectra suggest that local atomic structure around octahedral Fe in allophanes is more similar to Fe in a smectite-like structure than to a published theoretical nanoball structure.

Natural clay-sized glauconite has the same mineralogical composition as sand-sized glauconite pellets but occurs in <2 μm clay fractions. This particular glauconite habit has been described previously from soil environments resulting from pelletal weathering but is rarely reported in higher-energy sedimentary environments. In the present study, clay-sized glauconite was identified as a common constituent in transgressive Neogene glauconite pellet-rich deposits of the southern North Sea in Belgium. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the characteristics of the clay-sized glauconite are very similar to the associated glauconite pellets in sand deposits. Both glauconite types consisted of two glauconite-smectite R1 phases with generally small percentages of expandable layers (<30%) with d060 values ranging between 1.513 Å and 1.519 Å. Clay-sized glauconite was not neoformed but formed by the disintegration of sand-sized glauconite pellets which were abraded or broken up during short-distance transport within the sedimentary basin or over the hinterland. Even in an environment where authigenic glauconite pellets occur, minimal transport over transgressive surfaces is sufficient to produce clay-sized glauconite. Furthermore, clay-sized glauconite can be eroded from marine deposits and subsequently resedimented in estuarine deposits. Clay-sized glauconite is, therefore, a proxy for the transport intensity of pelletal glauconite in energetic depositional environments and, moreover, indicates reworking in such deposits which lack pelletal glauconite.

To date, ~1% of all bacteria that occur in environmental ecosystems such as soil, sedimentary rocks, and groundwater have been described. Comprehensive explanation of ecological interactions on a microscale level is thus almost impossible. The Dynamic Cultivation System (DCS) was developed in order to detect more microbial taxa than with common cultivation approaches, as well as previously undescribed bacterial species. The DCS is a quick and easy in situ method for the cultivation of numerous bacterial taxa in support of the description of microbial colonized ecosystems. To investigate the bacterial populations within a clay-maturation process after mining the raw material, the DCS was used to increase the microbial biomass for further molecular analysis. Two different methods were applied to extract the bacteria from the DCS and these were compared in terms of efficiency at detection of large numbers of different taxa and in terms of applicability to the detection of previously undescribed species in raw clays. A collection of different undescribed species was detected with sequencing. While direct picking of bacterial colonies leads to the detection of different genera, species mainly of the genus Arthobacter were proved in the phosphate-buffered saline-suspended biomass. Thus, a combination of the approaches mentioned above is recommended to increase the number of detectable species. The DCS will help to describe better the microbial content of ecosystems, especially soils that contain charged particles.