Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x24gv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T20:16:55.729Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Formation of Trioctahedral Illite from Biotite in a Soil Profile over Granite Gneiss

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

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

Abstract

Clay fractions separated from the A2, B, and C horizons of a soil formed on granite gneiss showed X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) spacings characteristic of trioctahedral illite. The trioctahedral illite was derived from biotite, and its development through various stages of weathering was followed by optical and electron microscopy combined with electron microanalysis. In the initial stages of weathering, Fe2+ within biotite was oxidized, without the loss of much K. During this process, biotite flakes became slightly buckled and fractured. Solutions moved into the damaged flakes leading to chemical weathering and exfoliation along cleavages and angular fractures. Major exfoliation broke up the flakes into segments, which themselves contained minor exfoliations and alterations along cleavage planes. The extent of exfoliation and alteration continued until thinner and shorter segments consisted almost wholly of thin (< 0.25 µm), parallel wafers separated by less compact layers of particles and microaggregates. The segments finally lost their shape and divided into clay-size particles. Parts of the thin wafers had the same chemical composition (and structure) as the original, intact flakes of oxidized biotite. The same parts of wafers retained some of the optical properties of the original biotite, and, when broken down to clay, they produced the XRD spacings of 10 and 1.54 Å, typical of fine-grained, trioctahedral mica (illite).

Keywords

BiotiteElectron microprobeIlliteMicaScanning electron microscopyTrioctahedralWeatheringX-ray powder diffraction
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 187 - 195
Copyright
Copyright © 1990, The Clay Minerals Society

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

Bailey, S. W., 1984 X-ray powder patterns of micas Micas, Reviews of Mineralogy 13 573 – 584.Google Scholar
Bailey, S. W., Brindley, G. W., Johns, W. D., Martin, R. T. and Ross, M., 1971 Summary of national and international recommendations on clay mineral nomenclature. 1969-70 CMS Nomenclature Committee Clays & Clay Minerals 19 129 – 132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barshad, I. and Kishk, F. M., 1968 Oxidation of ferrous iron in vermiculite and biotite alters fixation and replace-ability of potassium Science 162 127 – 137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bisdom, E. B. A., 1967 Micromorphology of a weathered granite near the Ria de Arosa (N.W. Spain) Leidse Geol. Meded. 37 33 – 67.Google Scholar
Bisdom, E. B. A. Stoops, G., Delvigne, J., Curmi, P. and Altemulier, H.-J., 1982 Micromorphology of weathering biotite and its secondary products Pedologie 32 225 – 252.Google Scholar
Bustin, R. M. and Mathews, W. H., 1979 Selective weathering of granitic clasts Can. J. Earth Sci. 16 215 – 223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chartres, C. J., Chivas, A. R. and Walker, P. H., 1988 The effect of aeolian successions on soil development on granitic rocks in south-eastern Australia. II. Oxygen-isotope, min-eralogical and geochemical evidence for aeolian deposition Aust. J. Soil Res. 26 17 – 31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deer, W. A., Howie, R. A. and Zussman, J., 1962 Rock-forming Minerals, Vol. 3: Sheet Silicates New York Wiley.Google Scholar
Farmer, V. C., Russell, J. D., McHardy, W. J., Newman, A. C. D. Ahrichs, J. L. and Rimsaite, J. Y. H., 1971 Evidence for loss of protons and octahedral iron from oxidized biotites and vermiculites Mineral. Mag. 38 121 – 137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fordham, A. W., 1990 Treatment of microanalyses of intimately mixed products of mica weathering Clays & Clay Minerals 38 179 – 186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fordham, A. W., Merry, R. H. and Beckmann, G. G. (1985) Site description and field observations in a study of B horizon development in duplex soils: CSIRO Aust. Div. Soils Tech. Mem. 14, 12 pp.Google Scholar
Ghabru, S. K., Mermut, A. R. and 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.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilkes, R. J., 1973 The alteration products of potassium depleted oxybiotite Clays & Clay Minerals 21 303 – 313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilkes, R. J. and Suddhiprakarn, A., 1979 Biotite alteration in deeply weathered granite. 1. Morphological, mineral-ogical and chemical properties Clays & Clay Minerals 27 349 – 360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilkes, R. J. and Young, R. C., 1974 Artificial weathering of oxidized biotite: 4. The inhibitory effect of potassium on dissolution rate Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 38 529 – 532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilkes, R. J., Young, R. C. and Quirk, J. P., 1972 The oxidation of octahedral iron in biotite Clays & Clay Minerals 20 303 – 315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kapoor, B. S., 1972 Weathering of micaceous clays in some Norwegian podzols Clay Miner. 9 383 – 394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nettleton, W. D., Nelson, R. E. and Flach, K. W., 1973 Formation of mica in surface horizons of dryland soils Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 37 473 – 478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, A. C. D. and Brown, G., 1966 Chemical changes during the alteration of micas Clay Miner. 6 297 – 309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norrish, K. and Pickering, J. G., 1983 Clay minerals Soils—An Australian Viewpoint London Division of Soils, CSIRO/ Academic Press 281 – 308.Google Scholar
Penven, M.-J. Fedoroff, N. and Robert, M., 1981 Weathering of biotites in Algeria Geoderma 26 287 – 309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rimsaite, J. and Bailey, S. W., 1967 Biotite intermediate between diocta-hedral and trioctahedral micas Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. 15th Natl. Conf, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1966 New York Pergamon Press 375 – 393.Google Scholar
Robert, M., Pedro, G. and Heller, L., 1969 A study of the relationship between oxidation and degree of exfoliation in trioctahedral micas Proc. Int. Clay Conf, Tokyo, 1969, Vol 1 Jerusalem Israel Prog. Sci. Transi. 455 – 473.Google Scholar
Ross, G. J. and Rich, C. I., 1974 Effect of oxidation and reduction on potassium exchange of biotite Clays & Clay Minerals 22 355 – 360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossman, G. R. and Bailey, S. W., 1984 Spectroscopy of micas Micas, Reviews in Mineralogy, 13 Washington, D.C. Mineral. Soc. Amer. 145 – 181.Google Scholar
Seddoh, F. K. and Pedro, G., 1974 Characterization of different stages of transformation of biotites and chloritized biotites in granite saprolites at Morvan Bull. Groupe Franc. Argiles 26 107 – 125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shoba, S. A. and Sokolova, T. A., 1981 Weathering products of biotite in sodpodzolic soil Soviet Soil Sci. 6 91 – 97.Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff, 1975 Soil Taxonomy Washington, D.C. U.S. Dept. Agriculture No. 436, U.S. Gov. Print. office.Google Scholar
Środoń, J., Eberl, D. D. and Bailey, S. W., 1984 Illite Micas, Reviews in Mineralogy, 13 Washington, D.C. Mineral. Soc. Amer. 495 – 544.Google Scholar
Stace, H. C. T. Hubble, D. D., Brewer, R., Northcote, K. H., Sleeman, J. R., Mulcahy, M. J. and Hallsworth, E. G., 1968 A Handbook of Australian Soils South Australia Rellim, Glenside.Google Scholar
Tarzi, J. G. and Protz, R., 1978 Characterization of morphological features of soil micas using scanning electron microscopy Clays & Clay Minerals 26 352 – 360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarzi, J. G. and Protz, R., 1979 Increased selectivity of naturally weathered biotites for potassium Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 43 189 – 191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, G. F., 1949 The decomposition of biotite in the soil Mineral. Mag. 28 693 – 703.Google Scholar
Walker, G. F., 1950 Trioctahedral minerals in the soil-clays of north-east Scotland Mineral. Mag. 29 72 – 84.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.CrossRefGoogle Scholar