Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-15T08:46:32.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Clay Mineralogy of Paleozoic K-Bentonites of the Eastern United States (Part 1)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Richard W. Lounsbury  and
Wilton N. Melhorn
Richard W. Lounsbury
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Wilton N. Melhorn
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Samples of altered volcanic materials, interbedded with dominantly carbonate sediments, were collected from Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian strata in Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Alabama. These altered volcanics, originally called metabentonite and more recently K-bentonite, occur in thin seams commonly only a few inches thick and are generally believed to be altered Paleozoic volcanic ash falls because they contain typical igneous minerals in the heavy suite and retain textures and structures characteristic of ash deposits.

Petrographic, differential thermal, and X-ray analyses were made of these samples to determine the clay mineralogy. Mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite occurs in the majority of samples. Illite is present in all samples and chlorite occurs in a few samples. This is in general accord with findings of previous studies. The mixed-layer clay is believed to have been deposited as montmorillonite in a marine environment and subsequently altered largely to illite through fixation of K in the interlayer position.

K-bentonites from Michigan and Illinois contain a constituent which has a 7.6 Å d-spacing. It is suggested that this material may be of regional significance because its occurrence was confined to the Upper Mississippi Valley K-bentonites in samples of this study.

Type
General
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals (National Conference on Clays and Clay Minerals) , Volume 12 , February 1963 , pp. 557 - 565
Copyright
Copyright © The Clay Minerals Society 1963

References

Allen, V. T. (1929) Altered tuffs in the Ordovician of Minnesota: J. Geol., v. 37, pp, 239–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, V. T. (1932) Ordovician altered volcanic material in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri: J. Geol, v. 40, pp. 259–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradley, W. F. (1945) Diagnostic criteria for clay minerals: Amer. Min., v. 30, pp. 704–713.Google Scholar
Fox, P. P., and Grant, L. F. (1944) Ordovician bentonites in Tennessee and adjacent states: J. Geol, v. 52, pp. 319–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grim, R. E. (1962) Clay mineralogy: Science, v. 135, No. 3507, pp. 890–898.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huff, W. D. (1963) Mineralogy of Ordovician K-bentonites in Kentucky: Clays and Clay Minerals, 12th Conf., Pergamon Press, New York, pp. 200 209.Google Scholar
Kay, G. M. (1935) Distribution of Ordovician altered volcanic materials and related clays: Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull, v. 46, pp. 225–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, G. M. (1944) Middle Ordovician of central Pennsylvania; Part 1, Chazyan and earlier Mohawkian (Black River) formations; Part 2, Later Mohawkian (Trenton) formations: J. Geol, v. 52, pp. 1–23, 97-116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kerr, P. F., and Kulp, J. L. (1949) Reference clay localities—United States: Prelim, rept. No. 2, Reference Clay Minerals, A.P.I. Research Project 49, Amer. Petrol. Inst., New York, 103 pp.Google Scholar
Nelson, B. W. (1959) New bentonite zone from the Pennsylvanian of southwestern Virginia (abs.): Geol Soc. Amer. Bull, v. 70, p. 1651.Google Scholar
Nelson, W. A. (1921) Notes on a volcanic ash bed in the Ordovician of Middle Tennessee: Tennessee State Geol Surv. Bull, v. 25, pp. 46–48.Google Scholar
Nelson, W. A. (1922) Volcanic ash beds in the Ordovician of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama: Geol Soc. Amer. Bull, v. 33, pp. 605–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenkrans, R. R. (1934) Correlation studies of the central and south central Pennsylvania bentonite occurrences: Amer. J. Sci., v. 27, pp. 113–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, C. S. (1928) Altered Paleozoic volcanic materials and their recognition: Amer. Assoc. Petrol Geol Bull, v. 12, pp. 143–164.Google Scholar
Ross, C. S. (1955) Provenience of pyroclastic materials: Geol Soc. Amer. Bull, v. 66, pp. 427–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weaver, S. E. (1953) Mineralogy and petrology of some Ordovician K-bentonites and related limestones: Geol Soc. Amer. Bull., v. 64, pp. 921–944.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weaver, S. E. (1956) Mineralogy of the Middle Devonian Tioga K-bentonite: Amer. v. 41, pp. 359–362.Google Scholar