An experimental alteration of montmorillonite to a di + trioctahedral smectite assemblage at 100 and 200°C

Authors: Beaufort D.; Berger G.; Lacharpagne J. C.; Meunier A.

Source: Clay Minerals, Volume 36, Number 2, 1 June 2001 , pp. 211-225(15)

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Abstract:

Hydrothermal experiments were performed at 100 and 200°C and at different clay:water ratios in order to investigate the transformation of smectitic layers during the alteration of a montmorillonitic starting material. This study focused on three phenomena: (1) the amount and localization of charge within the layer of the newly-formed dioctahedral smectite; (2) the stacking of low- and high-charge layers in the dioctahedral smectitic material; and (3) the neoformation of trioctahedral smectites. In all of the runs, the formation of beidellite from montmorillonite induced morphological changes in clay particles which suggests a reaction proceeding by a dissolution-crystallization mechanism. Illite layers were detected in K-saturated montmorillonite runs after the transformation of ~50% of the starting montmorillonite into beidellite (i.e. after 5 months of reaction with distilled water at 200°C). These illite layers were interstratified with both high-charge and low-charge dioctahedral smectites in a hypothetical three-component mixed-layer mineral.

Keywords: MONTMORILLONITE; BEIDELLITE; ILLITE-SMECTITE; EXPERIMENTAL; ILLITIZATION

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2001-06-01

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