Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T08:37:44.286Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Weathering of biotite into dioctahedral clay minerals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

A. W. Fordham
A. W. Fordham*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Soils, Private Bag No. 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Changes which occur during the natural weathering of biotite in granite gneiss and associated soils are measured by microanalysis and illustrated by SEM. Biotite weathers through a series of interstratified minerals to vermiculite and/or smectite phases which decompose rapidly to kaolinite. Both vermiculite and smectite phases appear to be dioctahedral, on the basis of chemical compositions derived from microprobe data. Weathering products are first apparent on the edges of laminae, where interstratified minerals are formed at right angles to both the edge face and the cleavage. Weathering soon develops along cleavage planes, initially most strongly near the edges of flakes, but then permeating extensively into the body of flakes and subdivided segments. The orientation of interstratified minerals and kaolinite within cleavages is parallel to the cleavage.

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , March 1990 , pp. 51 - 63
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

April, R.H., Hluchy, M.M. & Newton, R.M (1986) The nature of vermiculite in Adirondack soils and till. Clays Clay Miner., 34, 549–556.Google Scholar
Bailey, S.W. (1980) Summary of recommendations of AIPEA nomenclature committee. Clay Miner., 15, 85–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banfield, J.F. & Eggleton, R.A. (1988) Transmission electron microscope study of biotite weathering. Clays Clay Miner., 36, 47–60.Google Scholar
Bisdom, E.B.A., Stoops, G., Delvigne, J., Curmi, P. & Atlemuller, H-J. (1982) Micromorphology of weathering biotite and its secondary products. Pedologie, 32, 225–252.Google Scholar
Borchardt, G.A. (1977) Montmorillonite and other smectite minerals. Pp. 293–330 in: Minerals in Soil Environments(J. B. Dixon & S. B. Weed, editors). Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Curmi, P. & Fayolle, M. (1981) Microscopic characterization of weathering in a granitic saprolite. Pp, 249–270 in: Submicroscopy of Soils and Weathered Rocks (E. B. A. Bisdom, editor). Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation (Pudoc), Wageningen.Google Scholar
Douglas, L.A. (1977) Vermiculites. Pp. 259–292 in: Minerals in Soil Environments (J. B. Dixon & S. B. Weed, editors). Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Eswaran, H. & Heng, Y.Y. (1976) The weathering of biotite in a profile on gneiss in Malaysia. Geoderma, 16, 9–20.Google Scholar
Fanning, D.S. & Keramidas, V.Z. (1977) Micas. Pp. 195–258 in: Minerals in Soil Environments (J. B. Dixon & S. B. Weed, editors). Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Fordham, A.W. (1989a) Treatment of microanalyses of intimately mixed products of mica weathering. Clays Clay Miner,(in press).Google Scholar
Fordham, A.W. (1989b) Formation of trioctahedral illite from biotite in a soil profile over granite gneiss. Clays and Clay Miner,(in press).Google Scholar
Fritz, S.J. (1988) A comparative study of gabbro and granite weathering. Chem. Geol., 68, 275–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghabru, S.K., Mermut, A.R. & St. Arnaud, R.J. (1987) The nature of weathered biotite in sand-sized fractions of gray luvisols (boralfs) in Saskatchewan, Canada. Geoderma, 40, 65–82.Google Scholar
Gilkes, R.J. & Suddhiprakarn, A. (1979a) Biotite alteration in deeply weathered granite. I. Morphological, mineralogical and chemical properties. Clays Clay Miner., 27, 349–360.Google Scholar
Gilkes, R.J. & Suddhiprakarn, A. (1979b) Biotite alteration in deeply weathered granite. II. The oriented growth of secondary minerals. Clays Clay Miner., 27, 361–367.Google Scholar
Harris, W.G., Zelazny, L.W., Baker, J.C. & Martens, D.C. (1985a) Biotite kaolinization in Virginia Piedmont soils. 1. Extent, profile trends and grain morphological effects. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 49, 1290–1297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, W.G., Zelazny, L.W. & Bloss, F.D. (1985b) Biotite kaolinization in Virginia Piedmont soils. II. Zonation in single grains. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 49, 1297–1302.Google Scholar
Kapoor, B.S. (1972) Weathering in micaceous clays in some Norwegian podzols. Clay Miner., 9, 383–394.Google Scholar
Kerns, R.L. & Mankin, C.J. (1967) Compositional variation of a vermiculite as related to particle size. Clays Clay Miner., 15, 163–177.Google Scholar
Nettleton, W.D., Flach, K.W. & Nelson, R.E. (1970) Pedogenic weathering of tonalite in southern California. Geoderma, 4, 387–402.Google Scholar
Penven, M-J., Fedoroff, N. & Robert, M. (1981) Weathering of biotites in Algeria. Geoderma, 26, 287–309.Google Scholar
Rebertus, R.A., Weed, S.B. & Buol, S.W. (1986) Transformations of biotite to kaolinite during saprolite-soil weathering. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 50, 810–819.Google Scholar
Shoba, S.A. & Sokolova, T.A. (1981) Weathering products of biotite in sod-podzolic soil. Soviet Soil Sci., 6, 91-97.Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff (1975) Soil Taxonomy. Handbook US Dept Agric. No. 436, Gov. Printer, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Sousa, E.C. & Eswaran, H. (1975) Alteration of micas in the saprolite of a profile from Angola: a morphological study. Pedologie, 25, 71–79.Google Scholar
Stoch, L. & Sikora, W. (1976) Transformations of micas in the process of kaolinization of granites and gneisses. Clays Clay Miner., 24, 156–162.Google Scholar
Tarzi, J.G. & Protz, R. (1978) Characterization of morphological features of soil micas using scanning electron microscopy. Clays Clay Miner., 26, 352–360.Google Scholar
Wilson, M.J. (1966) The weathering of biotite in some Aberdeenshire soils. Mineral. Mag., 35, 1080–1093.Google Scholar
Wilson, M. J. (1970) A study of weathering in a soil derived from a biotite-hornblende rock. 1. Weathering of biotite. Clay Miner., 8, 291–303.Google Scholar
Wilson, M.J. (1973) Clay minerals in soils derived from Lower Old Red Sandstone till: effects of inheritance and pedogenesis. 7. Soil Sci., 24, 26–41.Google Scholar