The mineralogical and chemical changes of sheridanite were followed in different alteration horizons as weathering of its host amphibolite increased. Microscopic and microprobe analyses of phases produced in or around the chlorite allowed a classification of the different alteration stages relative to their position in the profile. In the unweathered rock, prehnite and a sericite—kaolinite assemblage appear to have formed at grain boundaries between chlorites and plagioclases. These represent low-pressure (PH2O < 2.5 ± 1 Kb) and low-temperature (320–360°C) metamorphic phases. In the saprock, where initial rock structure is still preserved, chlorites weather to a more or less regular mixed-layer chlorite-vermiculite. In the saprolite, large-grain (20 µm) vermiculite forms in the clayey zones (plasma) when rock structure is destroyed. The chemical composition of these newly-formed minerals is influenced by the original chlorites and mixed-layer minerals.

The nickel arsenate KNiAsO4 has a mica-like layer structure with surface charge densities similar to brittle micas. In contrast to micas it easily exchanges alkylammonium ions. The interlayers have paraffin-type chain arrangements, as in alkylammonium vermiculites and alkylamine smectites and vermiculites, but the very regular chain packing causes a marked odd/even alternation of the basal spacings. The reactions of KNiAsO4 throw light on the exchange behaviour of micas.

La composition minéralogique de la phase <2 µm de la croûte d'altération de teinte pâele et de quelques millimétres d'épaisseur, développée sur les faces des prismes basaltiques de Roudadou, près d'Aurillac, Cantal, a été étudiée par plusieurs techniques: RX, analyse thermique différentielle, thermogravimétrie, spectroscopie infra-rouge entre 600 et 200 cm−1, mesure des surfaces totales. Cette phase fine est constituée d'une fraction non cristalline relativement réduite et surtout de minéraux argileux cristallisés, parmi lesquels l'imogolite est largement dominante (50%), accompagnée de l'halloysite (30%). Parfois une smectite compléte ce cortège argileux. A notre connaissance, l'imogolite n'avait jamais été identifiée parmi les produits d'altération superficielle des roches volcaniques du Massif Central.

The technique of neutron inelastic scattering has demonstrated the presence of longitudinal acoustic phonons in two layer-silicate minerals. Values of the elastic constants determined from the dispersion curves have established the validity of the technique for this class of materials.

Sorption interlayer complexes of n-butylamine, sec-butylamine, iso-butylamine and diethylamine with homoionic Ln-montmorillonites (Ln = La, Sm, Gd, Er, Y) have been prepared. Compositions of the complexes are of the type: [Ln(butylamine)4]3+ and [Ln-(diethylamine)2]3+. The disposition of amine molecules surrounding the ion, the interaction between the amine group and the Ln3+ ion, and the strength of the ion-dipole bond have been studied by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis.

Different montmorillonites (Otay, Chambers, Marnia, Camp Berteau, Moosburg, Greek White, Wyoming bentonite were deferrated with a dithionite/citrate solution; iron sulphide by-products were eliminated with an HCl washing and citrates with an H2O2 oxidation. The smaller CEC after deferration could not be assigned to either (i) the occurrence of a positive correlation between CEC and particle sizes smaller than 0.2 µm or (ii) to the mean charge density of these sub-fractions. All sub-fractions had a heterogeneous interlayer cation density distribution.

A number of Ni-hydroxy-montmorillonite complexes were prepared by titrating NiCl2 solutions with NaOH in the presence of charge-reduced and normal montmorillonite suspensions. These complexes were characterized by chemical analysis, CEC, XRD, IR and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). The R (charge-reduced) Ni-hydroxy complexes proved to be merely mechanical mixtures of Ni(OH)2 and clay. The reducibility of Ni contained in these samples was not affected by preliminary heat treatments. The nature of the N (normal) Ni-hydroxy montmorillonites depended principally on the amount of Ni actually incorporated into the precipitates. Neither the OH/Ni ratio selected for the preparation or the quantity of Ni initially added completely determined the type of complex formed. TPR patterns of the N samples generally showed three reduction bands whose respective intensities varied with the quality and the amount of Ni present. One of these reduction bands, occurring at high temperature, measured the extent of incorporation of Ni into the silicate framework during the TPR run. The intensity of this high-temperature band with respect to lower temperature ones was increased by thermal pretreatments. The results emphasize that when TPR patterns of natural Ni-bearing clays are being interpreted it is important to recognize that thermal transformations may occur in the samples caused by the heat supplied during the TPR run itself.

La prise en compte simultanée des résultats de diffraction des RX et de spectrométrie infrarouge a permis de préciser la nature des interactions entre l'eau, les cations compensateurs et les feuillets dans les phases à 14.6, 12.2 et 10.1 Å d'une saponite-Li de synthèse. En effet, la diffraction des RX renseigne sur l'espace interfeuillet disponible à l'eau et aux cations compensateurs alors que les perturbations observées sur les fréquences de vibration de valence des hydroxyles de structure apportent des indications sur la nature et la position des atomes situés à l'aplomb des cavités hexagonales. Cette étude a permis de confirmer la présence de cations hydratés (Li-H2O)+ dans les cavités ditrigonales des feuillets de la saponite-Li amené àun état d'hydratation correspondant à la phase à 10.1 Å.

It is now generally accepted that species names can be given to regularly interstratified clay minerals, in accordance with the recommendation of the AIPEA Nomenclature Committee (Brindley & Pedro, 1970). In Part A of this report we suggest (i) criteria for defining the degree of regularity of alternation of different layer types that should merit a name, (ii) data that should be provided for documentation of a regular interstratification, and (iii) some examples of interstratifications that do not merit names. In Part B of the report we apply the suggested criteria to the analysis of regular interstratifications previously reported in the literature, and make recommendation regarding the usage of existing names.

Phosphorites occur throughout the Negev, southern Israel, within the upper part of the Mishash Formation of Late Campanian age. These phosphorites are part of the Upper Cretaceous-Eocene Tethys phosphatic province. Two units can be differentiated in the Mishash Formation: a lower chert unit and an upper phosphatic unit (Nathan et al., 1979). In the upper unit, rich, economic phosphorite beds with more than 25% P2O5 alternate with chert beds and so-called ‘sterile intercalations’ which contain about 15% P2O5.

Clinoptilohte (Mumpton, 1960), a zeolite of the heulandite-clinoptilolite family, was identified from XRD patterns of air-dried and heated samples of the clay fraction from the insoluble residue (1-20% of the rock) of selected phosphatic samples from the Hor Hahar field, Negev, southern Israel. Clinoptilohte occurred mainly in the ‘sterile intercalations’. Inasmuch as clinoptilohte has not been identified in older formations in the Negev, it was presumed to be authigenic in the Mishash Formation.

It is generally agreed that the English mid-Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous fuller's earths were derived from volcanic ash. In the Lower Cretaceous fuller's earth of Woburn, Kerr (1932) recognized partially decomposed relics of shards in a matrix of montmorillonite, and Grim (1933, 1935) described montmorillonite pseudomorphs after glass fragments in the Bath fuller's earth of Bathonian age. Jeans et al. (1977) published twenty-two SEM pictures of pyroclasts, including sanidine, sphene, trachytic pumice, and a basaltic glass fragment. Photomicrographs of the Lower Cretaceous fuller's earth show shard relicts ranging in length from 0·8-1·26 mm (median ∼1·12 mm) and in thickness from 5-15µm (Jeans et al., 1977, fig. 14a). However, much remains obscure about the shape, size and mode of packing of the argillized vitric particles which make up the bulk of fuller's earths. This note describes the texture of an English fuller's earth which was freeze-fractured (Tessier, 1978), prior to examination with a scanning electron microscope.

Precise identification of clay minerals found in granular rocks has always posed a great problem to the clay petrographer. Even if it is possible to locate the position of authigenic clay mineral formation in a thin section, subsequent identification of this same material by X-ray diffractometry is usually very difficult. Attempts have been made using selected-area radiation of thin sections (Pawluck & Dumanski, 1973; Wicks & Zussman, 1975; Wilson & Clark, 1978) but the area analysed remains relatively large, i.e. of the order of several mm2. The other solution is micro-picking of material from a thin section and subsequent identification by Debye-Scherrer camera methods (Wallace, 1955; Rickwood, 1977). This method, however, does not allow preferred orientation, and thus precise identification, of many clay species. The ideal method is to combine micro-picking from thin sections from areas of several hundreds of square microns with an oriented sample preparation, which can then be treated in the traditional way (glycolation, heating, etc.) for characterization by X-ray diffractometry.

In the laboratories of the Geological Survey of Sweden we have for many years used an acid-resistant, stainless steel filtering funnel to prepare ‘oriented’ clay mounts for X-ray diffractometry. The funnel consists of three parts (left and centre foreground of Fig. 1). The circular plate is porous and made of sintered stainless steel and serves as a support for a 47 mm diameter membrane filter. The cylinder is manufactured in two different sizes, 250 ml and 600 ml. The funnel is generally mounted on a suction flask but when the filtrate has to be analysed a suction cloche is preferable.

When many mounts have to be prepared the use of a manifold is practical and time saving. We have adapted the Sartorius six-branch manifold and added a transition tube of stainless steel (right foreground of Fig. 1), threaded to fit the manifold outlet and tightened through a gasket. The funnel itself is mounted on the tube through a rubber stopper. Suction is by a small pump (25 l/min, 0·15 kW). A suction flask is placed between the filter stand and the pump to collect the combined filtrates (Fig. 2).