Al-lizardite has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions (200ºC). Morphologically, Al-lizardite consists of thin platy particles ~400 Å wide and ~150 Å thick. Structurally, the X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the 2H2 polytype is dominant, with cell parameters: a = 5.311(0.006) Å; c = 14.333 (0.013) Å and space group P63. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images revealed, however, the presence of other polytypes and abundant stacking disorder. Chemically, Al-lizardite consists of a single population with average tetrahedral composition Si1.74Al0.26. In contrast to previously described Al-rich serpentines (amesite and Al-lizardite), this Al-lizardite is characterized by an asymmetrical Al distribution, with VIAl ≈0.70 and IVAl ≈0.25 atoms per formula unit.

The effects of acid activation on the chemical composition, surface area and pore structure of palygorskite from Xuyi (Jiangsu, P.R. China) were investigated systematically using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and BET techniques. The palygorskite samples were activated with HCl, H2SO4 and H3PO4 of various concentrations at 80ºC for 4 h. The influences of acid concentration and acid type on the chemical composition, adsorption-desorption isotherms at 77 K, pore-size distribution, surface area and pore volume were studied in detail. The contents of most components of palygorskite decrease with increasing acid concentration except for Si and Ti. HCl shows a greater activation activity and its effect on the dissolution of components of palygorskite is greater than that of H2SO4 and H3PO4. It was found that 3 mol l–1 H3PO4 is a more efficient activator for increasing the number of micropores in palygorskite, whereas 12 mol l–1 HCl is more suitable for use in enhancing the number of meso- and macropores. The acid concentration and acid type have a great influence on the surface area and pore volume. HCl is the most effective at enhancing the external surface area and mesopore volume of palygorskite, whereas, H3PO4 is more suitable for use in improving the micropore surface and volume.

The Loma Blanca mine is in one of the northwest kaolinized zones of the Los Menucos area (Patagonia, Argentina). The parent rocks are andesites and andesitic tuffs from the Vera Formation, Los Menucos Group (Lower Triassic). Hayase & Maiza (1974) proposed a concentric zonation model. From the parent rock outward, four different alteration patterns were recognized: Zone 1, with sericite, chlorite and montmorillonite; Zone 2, with kaolinite and dickite; Zone 3, with dickite, pyrophyllite and alunite; and Zone 4, with quartz, disseminated sulphides and diaspore.

The relationship between the chemical composition of major, minor and trace elements and the mineralogical alteration zonation was evaluated to confirm the genesis of the deposit. Fe2O3, CaO, Na2O and K2O contents decrease from Zone 1 to Zone 3, whereas Al2O3 and LOI increase in the kaolinite-alunite zone. In the chemical composition of alunite, Na > K. Large Ba, Sr, V and Zr contents were observed mainly in Zones 2 and 3. Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Rb are more common in Zone 1. LREE are more abundant than HREE in Zones 2 and 3. In kaolinites, δ18O values range from 10.8% to 13.2%, and δD from –83% to –85%.

The mineral assemblage (dickite-alunite-pyrophyllite-diaspore), the alteration zonation pattern (laterally concentric), the geochemistry of trace elements, the relation between LREE and HREE and the small δ18O values suggest that the Loma Blanca deposit was formed by hydrothermal processes.

In the oil fields in the Central Graben of the North Sea, Maastrichtian chalk is an important hydrocarbon reservoir, but oil may also be found in the Danian chalk, consisting of white chalk interbedded with clay layers. Within the chalk section, discrete intervals appear like chalk but contain large amounts of quartz (up to 100%). The aim of the present investigation is to reveal the mechanism for formation of the quartz in these intervals and to discuss their regional distribution and importance for the reservoir properties. Samples of chalk, including quartz-rich intervals, and clay layers from three wells SA-1, Rigs-1 and Rigs-2 in the South Arne Field have been investigated. Calcite-free residues obtained using a buffered dissolution of calcite were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The main silica phase in the Upper Cretaceous–Danian chalk in the three wells is a nano-size α-quartz. This has probably formed from Si dissolved from radiolarians in the free-water phase. The 600 Å diameter α-quartz spheres precipitated in the free-water phase with subsequent flocculation of the spheres and sedimentation of the flocs. Variations in the proportion of quartz in the chalk are attributed to variations in the amount of radiolarians in combination with variations in CO2 concentrations in the water; increased CO2 causes dissolution of coccoliths and thus a relative enrichment in quartz. This formation mechanism is regional and makes it probable that the layers rich in nano-quartz may be found over large areas provided that the chalk is authigenic. Quartz-rich layers are generally of low permeability and in areas with authigenic chalk these layers may act as internal seals in chalk reservoirs.

The numerous kaolin deposits located in Patagonia, Argentina, have been formed by hypogene or supergene processes. The primary origin has been established from O18 and D isotopic composition of the main minerals, kaolinite and/or dickite, and from the behaviour of certain elements during the alteration. The aim of this paper was to find if there is a tool, other than oxygen-deuterium data, to establish the origin of the Patagonian kaolin deposits. To handle the large number of variables per sample, a statistical multivariate study was used. The Principal Component method defines, on one hand the variables that better characterize each deposit and, on the other hand, the correlation between them. Fifty seven elements were considered and those that were not explained using these two components (which represent 75% of the total variance of the model) were discarded. As a result, the contents of Fe2O3, P2O5, LOI, Sr, Y, Zr, V, Pb, Hf, Rb, S and REE were used and the results show that the two components separate the deposits into two fields that are consistent with the process of formation. The first component indicates that Fe2O3, Y, Rb, U and HREE are more abundant in the supergene deposits, whereas, Sr, Pb, S and V are more abundant in the hypogene deposits. The second component shows that S, P2O5 and the LREE are enriched in the hydrothermal deposits, whereas Zr is more abundant in those formed under weathering conditions.

An important attribute for soil use is clay content, because it affects the water-holding capacity and hydraulic properties of a soil. Soil surveys are time-consuming, labour-intensive and costly, while geophysical methods, such as Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), offer a non-invasive and non-destructive approach to mapping soil features. The objective of this paper is to assess the spatial relationship between clay content and geophysical data. The EMI and GPR data and soil cores were collected and analysed in a field of about 3 ha size in Rutigliano, Bari, in SE Italy. The EMI data and clay contents were interpolated using ordinary cokriging. The GPR data were pre-processed and the envelope of the filtered GPR data was used to produce 3Dmaps of the kriged estimates. The correlation with clay content was large and positive for EMI, whereas it was negative for the GPR measurement. In this work, a combination of geostatistical and statistical analysis has shown a significant correlation between the EMI and GPR observations. Estimation of the mathematical function relating these two groups of variables requires a multivariate approach of non-stationary geostatistics.

A general alteration pattern of two transitional clay mineral assemblages was determined by petrography and X-ray diffractometry studies at the Tandilia Late Proterozoic unconformity zone, around the Barker locality: (1) K-white mica + chlorite + calcite ± anatase-rutile ± secondary quartz (farther from the unconformity) and (2) pyrophyllite + K-white mica + Ti-rich hematite ± aluminium phosphate-sulphate minerals ± tourmaline ± anatase-rutile (closer to the unconformity). The local occurrence of Na in K-white micas and K-Na in pyrophyllite is described for the first time. Possible interlayering with intermediate K-Na mica and paragonite is indicated by detailed X-ray diffraction analyses. A negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.24), strongly positive Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* =11.7) and positive Ce anomaly characterized rapid changes from an unaltered basement to the most altered basement and sedimentary rocks at the unconformity. Aluminium phosphate-sulphate minerals dominate patterns of LREE. A model of hydrothermal alteration comparable to that of unconformity-related uranium deposits is presented.

The risk of overfitting pair distribution function (PDF) data for highly defective material (Farrow et al., 2007) is illuminated with the example of the nanocrystalline hydrous ferric oxyhydroxide, ferrihydrite. Two structural models have been published by Michel et al. (2007, 2010) using this method, both of which contradict the standard ‘ferrihydrits’ model established by X-ray diffraction (Drits et al., 1993), and confirmed by single-crystal electron nanodiffraction (Janney et al., 2001) and neutron diffraction (Jansen et al., 2002). Although PDF data are reproduced equally well with the two regression models, neither model is realistic: the first (fhyd6) violates Pauling's 2nd rule, and the second (ferrifh), Pauling's 3rd rule.

The use of pelitic geological materials for the treatment of muscle-bone-skin pathologies, by application of a cataplasm made of clay and mineral water mixture, is currently receiving attention and interest from the general public and scientific community. In Portugal there are several natural occurrences of clays/muds which are used for pelotherapy and/or geotherapy. These are carried out either indoors (thalassotherapy and thermal centres) or outdoors, in natural sites generally located near the seaside. The aim of this study is to assess the mineralogical and physicochemical properties of Portuguese raw materials for therapeutic purposes. These materials were collected from different Portuguese Mesozoic-Cenozoic geological formations located in the neighbourhood of thermal centres or at beaches known from their empirical applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) were used to assess the mineralogical composition of these clays. Physicochemical properties, such as specific surface area, cation exchange capacity, plasticity/abrasiveness indices and heat diffusiveness were also determined. Having distinct geological ages and genesis, the materials examined are mainly illitic. Less abundant kaolinite and smectite are also present. With respect to their physicochemical properties, all samples have good thermal properties which make them potentially suitable for therapeutic or aesthetic purposes.