Miocene pelitic sedimentary rocks from six wells in the Sava Depression (sub-basin in the south-western part of the Pannonian Basin System) were investigated in order to determine the degrees of diagenetic alteration.Qualitative and semiquantitative mineral compositions of samples and the content of smectite in illite-smectite (I-S) were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD).Vitrinite reflectance and thermal alteration index (TAI) were measured in order to estimate the palaeotemperatures.Carbonate minerals, clay minerals and quartz are the main constituents of the pelitic sediments.Feldspars (albite), pyrite, opal-CT and hematite are present as minor constituents in some rocks. The mineral composition of the rocks, apart from previously known differences caused by various depositional environments and clastic material provenance, is dependent on the degree of diagenetic processes. At elevated temperatures and large burial depths the minerals formed by alteration processes or precipitated at the surface; smectite, kaolinite and calcite were gradually replaced by minerals formed by diagenetic processes, i.e. by illite-smectite, illite, chlorite, Ca-excess dolomite/ankerite and albite. Based on XRD data for smectite, I-S and illite, three stages of diagenetic development have been established. The early stage was characteristic of samples at depths <1.8 km containing smectite, I-S of the random R0 type and detrital illite.The middle stage begins with the appearance of the ordered R1 type of I-S at the depths >1.8 km and temperature above 80°C. At depths >4.6 km with corresponding temperatures >190ºC, the late stage began, characterized by the presence of R>1 I-S with <10% smectite.

The diagenetic evolution of clay minerals in a 4249 m sedimentary-magmatic sequence of the Zemah-1 drillhole in the Dead Sea Rift, Israel, was studied, mainly by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The parallel maturation of the organic matter was estimated by the thermal alteration index (TAI) method. Both parameters follow a progressive diagenesis with depth. The original clays, now encountered only at shallow depths, were dioctahedral, and mostly detrital. They transformed into Mg-rich trioctahedral clays starting with a saponite-dominated assemblage, followed by a saponite, ordered chlorite-smectite (C-S), and chlorite assemblage, and finally by a saponite, corrensite, chlorite and talc assemblage. Significant mineralogical composition gaps occur between saponite to corrensite and corrensite to chlorite. Short-range variations within the most evolved assemblage are controlled by bulk-rock composition. Depths of first occurrence and disappearance of minerals indicate a much higher geothermal gradient in the past whereas the TAI values suggest an even higher palaeogradient of ∼708C km–1.