Quelques Caractéristiques Géologiques et Minéralogiques des Dépôts d'Argile du Nord-Ouest du Québec

1971 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1525-1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gérard Ballivy ◽  
Gaston Pouliot ◽  
André Loiselle

The clay deposits of Northwestern Quebec (from Matagami to Rupert House) were formed during the retreat of the Laurentian ice sheet. The oldest deposits are varved clays formed when the region was submerged by glacial Lake Barlow – Ojibway; the varved clays have been traced northward to Rupert House. A minor glacial surge (Cochrane stadial) extending southward to Matagami, partly covered and reworked the lacustrine clays; evidences of this glacial readvance were observed on the left bank of Rupert River near Rupert House. Following this glacial stage, the land was invaded by sea water (Tyrrell Sea) from which were deposited the silty clay that underlies much of the Hudson Bay Lowlands.The mineralogical composition of the marine clay differs from that of the lacustrine clay by its carbonate content: 30% against 2% or less for the lacustrine clay. The clay fraction of the two types of clays is made up of similar minerals which, in order of decreasing importance are: illite, chlorite, vermiculite, and kaolinite. The marine clay is coarser grained than the lacustrine clay and, locally, gives rise to important flow-slides. The slides are subcircular in shape and have a typical bottle-neck opening; they have never been observed to develop in the varved clays. Their occurrence in the marine clays would seem to depend principally on the microstructure of the material, a silty clay that is fissured at the surface. The flow-slides occur specially during the spring thaw when the ground is oversaturated with water.

2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 851
Author(s):  
Α. ΤΣΙΡΑΜΠΙΔΗΣ ◽  
Θ. ΠΑΠΑΛΙΑΓΚΑΣ

The mainly white-yellow marly soils studied present medium degree of consolidation and induration. The predominant grain size of the non - carbonate constituents is that of silt varying from 34 to 64%. According to the textural classification of soils of the SSDS the samples are mainly silty-clay loams with moisture capacity 30-40%. In the untreated samples in decreasing abundance the following minerals predominate: calcite (31-59%), clay minerals (20-34%) and quartz (12-20%). In the clay fraction (<2μπι) in decreasing abundance the following clay minerals (in discrete and interstratified phases) predominate: illite, smectite and vermiculite. Chlorite and kaolinite are missing. Mineralogically the marly soils are immature, because of the extended presence of Fe-Mg minerals (i.e. amphiboles, pyroxenes and clay minerals). According to the Unified Soil Classification System of the ASTM the studied marly soils mainly belong to the groups MH and CH (inorganic silts and inorganic clays respectively with high plasticity and liquid limit >50%), as well as to the group CL (inorganic clays with low plasticity and liquid limit <50%). The degree of consolidation and induration, as well as of compaction of these soils is medium. They contain significant amounts of discrete or interstratified smectite and mainly present high to very high swelling potential and activity between 0.5 and 2.0. It is concluded that specific precautions must be taken into account, when it is unavoidable the foundation of various constructions on these marly soils, because they swell and shrink extensively.


Clay Minerals ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sandler ◽  
H. Saar

AbstractA series of thin clayey beds topping shallow marine cyclothems was sampled from a Turonian succession in Israel and was analysed by XRD for the mineralogical composition of its clay fraction. The main goal was to search for potential relations between short-term shallowing and possible emergence events and clay mineralogy. The bulk (<2 μm), coarse (0.2–2 μm) and fine (–0.2 μm) clay fractions of a unique clay bed, dominated by R⩾1-type I-S were analysed for their chemical composition and dated by the K-Ar method. The fine clay fraction was dated at ~5 m.y. younger and the bulk clay to be slightly older than the known stratigraphic age, which means that the clay is mostly authigenic and formed at low-temperature, near-surface conditions. This is supported by the geological history of the region and by the variability of the clay assemblages and I-S composition within ~30 m vertical distance, neither of which indicates evidence for high temperatures. The sedimentological analysis suggests that the clay bed was deposited at marginal marine marshes where evaporated sea water turned into an alkaline solution of high K concentration. This is apparently the first study to provide convincing evidence for low-temperature, early diagenetic formation and preservation of I-S with R1-type, or similar ordering.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saulius Lozovskis ◽  
Saulius Šliaupa ◽  
Jurga Lazauskienė ◽  
Rasa Šliaupienė

&lt;p&gt;In Worlds practice it is known that shale gas can be viable source of energy. Lithuania is situated in the central and eastern parts of the pericratonic Baltic Sedimentary Basin. The Lower Silurian shales are considered as a most prospective formation for gas exploration due to high amount of organic matter (more than 2%) and large thickness (120-200 m). Mineralogical composition and related petrophysical and mechanical properties were assessed for west Lithuanian shales that occur at the depths of 1500-2000 m. Thermal maturity of organic matter Tmax ranges from 432 to 455&lt;sup&gt;o&lt;/sup&gt;C (oil window). Shales contain 37&amp;#8211;57% of clay minerals. Illite predominates and chlorite is less abundant mineral. Quartz and feldspars compose about 35&amp;#8211;45% of shale volume. The carbonate content ranges from 1% to 28%. TOC content is about 2%, while interpretation of well logs show higher average amount of TOC ranging from 2.5 to 8%. The Middle Llandovery &amp;#8220;hot&amp;#8221; shales of 4-11m thick show anomalous TOC content up to 20%. The mineral brittleness index was calculated to range mainly from 0.35 to 0.40 (bellow the lower exploitation limit), while logging brittleness index varies from 0.40 to 0.60 (good quality). This difference is explained by logging coverage of the whole Lower Silurian section by contrast to selective drill coring of wells. The bulk porosity decreases with depth from 16% to 3% (linear correlation Depth=-0.0107&amp;#215;Porosity+25.7). The low cation exchange capacity (0.2-8.8 meq/100g) is accounted to specific mineral composition. The low erodibility (Roller Oven technique) is related to high shale compaction. The capillary suction time method was used to estimate the swelling capacity of shales. Rather low values are explained in terms of predominance of illite in clay fraction and high amount of detrital grains. In summary, the exploitation parameters estimated for west Lithuanian shales are classified as good and excellent and can be used to minimize the impact on the environment.&lt;/p&gt;


2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
MS Hussain ◽  
ZH Khan ◽  
M Ibrahim

Mineralogical composition of three surface soils from Urir Char ? an environmentally vulnerable small offshore island of Bangladesh ? was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. In the bulk soils layer silicates and quartz were the dominant minerals while the quantity of feldspars was around ten percent. Quantity of weatherable minerals was very high in the soils. Illite was the dominant mineral in the clay fraction of the soils. The second dominant clay mineral was smectite which comprised around one-fourth of the clay fraction closely followed by chlorite with a small quantity of kaolinite mineral. Soil vermiculite and mixed layer minerals were absent in these soils. These soils had a mixed mineralogical composition with a high cation exchange capacity and percent base saturation. Texturally the soils were silty loam. Exchangeable Ca++/ Mg++ ratio was less than unity. Magnesium solonization was considered as the dominant pedogenic process along with gleization. There was problem of salinity as the elevation of land was around one meter above the mean sea level. Natural calamities like tropical cyclones and tidal surges were highly devastating as the island was completely washed with sea water. J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 39(1): 95-104, June 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jasbs.v39i1.16038


Author(s):  
Radosław Rogoziński ◽  
Alina Maciejewska

AbstractVarved clay deposits from ice-dammed lakes are a particularly important and broadly applied raw material used for the production of high-quality ceramics (red bricks, roof tiles, etc.), but the mineralogy and geochemistry of these sediments are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the chemical and mineralogical composition of ice-dammed lake sediments of the Lębork deposit. Major-element analysis of the compositions of selected samples from the ice-dammed lake clays was performed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The mineralogical composition of clay samples was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Analyses of the chemical composition of the ice-dammed lake clays of the Lębork deposit showed that the dominant component was SiO2 with a mean content of 56.13 wt.%; the second most abundant component was Al2O3, with a mean content for the entire deposit of 11.61 wt.%. Analysis by ICP-MS indicated the presence of rare earth elements (REE), e.g. cerium, neodymium, lanthanum, and praseodymium; their mean contents are: 56.9, 27.0, 26.3, and 7.3 ppm, respectively. Mineralogical analysis of the varved clays identified quartz, muscovite, calcite, and clay minerals – illite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite. The material filling the Lębork basin is characterized by small lateral and vertical variability in chemical composition. The results of the present study may be of considerable importance in determining the parent igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, the weathering products of which supplied material to the ice-dammed lake, as well as in determining the mechanisms and character of the sedimentation process itself.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Erdoğan

Handere clay deposits were discovered at Adana in Turkey. These clay units primarily consist of uncoloured claystone, pebbly sandstone, sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone marl and include gypsum lenses and clay levels of various thicknesses in places. The physicochemical properties of these clays have been investigated by different techniques including Scanning Electron and Elemental Analysis (SEM and EDS), mineralogical analyses, chemical and physical analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and Atterberg (Consistency) Limits Test. The mineralogical composition deduced from XRD is wide (smectite + palygorskite + illite ± feldspar ± chlorite ± quartz ± calcite ± serpentine) due to the high smectite contents (≈85%). SEM studies reveal that smectite minerals are composed of irregular platy leaves and show honeycomb pattern in the form of wavy leaves in places. The leaves presenting an array with surface edge contact are usually concentrated in the dissolution voids and fractures of volcanic glass. Organic matter content and loss on ignition analysis of raw materials are good for all the studied samples. In summary, Handere clays can be used as building materials in bricks, roof tiles, and cement and as a binder.


Author(s):  
Igor Papish ◽  
Oleksii Telehuz

The article presents data on gross chemical and mineralogical composition of clay faction found in typical chernozems occurred within the Podillia Upland. Geographical regularities of formation as regards clayey profile of Chernozems pertaining to the same genetic series are revealed. The relationship between conditions and Chernozem development stage, character of vertical differentiation of basic mineral phases of clayey plasma and its chemical and mineralogical composition are shown. Izoclayey profile of hydromicas is the consequence of their relative accumulation as a result eluviation of colloid-dispersible mica-smectite minerals. The character of clay profile observed in Chernozems is determined by the correlation of intensity of carbonates leaching, lessivage and soils argillisation. Typical Podolian Chernozems are characterised with the like weathering crust of silicate type. The modern Chernozem clayey profile originated mainly during a wetter stage of soil formation. In the ploughable layer a high content of clastic minerals (quartz, potassium feldspar, sodium plagioclase) is observed. Random mixed and stratified mica-smectite minerals with a high content (>50 %) of smectite packets (33–63 %), hydromica (33–52 %), and kaolinite plus chlorite (4–15 %) are present in the profile. The mineralogical composition of soils clay fraction indicates obvious signs of smectite eluviation and relative illite accumulation. Clayey profile of the Bug upstream plateau located within the Podillia Upland is atypical for Chernozems found in the eastern forest-steppe and steppe areas. The distribution character of layered silicates, especially smectite, is even more contrastive. Clayey plasma redistributes differentially through leaching and lessivage processes. Accumulative type of sludge deposits formed in Chernozems of the Dniester plateau located within the Podillia Upland, even profile distribution of basic oxides and molar ratios of SiO2 : Al2O3 and SiO2 : Fe2O3 against the background of decreased downward smectite content indicate weakened eluviation of fine-grained clays towards the Dniester. The prevalence of smectite over hydromicas within the entire profile indicates argillisation of Chernozems. Key words: Chernozem, chemical-mineralogical composition, clayey minerals, hydromica, smectite, kaolinite, leaching, lessivage, argillisation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Welc ◽  
Radosław Mieszkowski ◽  
Sebastian Kowalczyk ◽  
Jerzy Trzciński

Abstract This paper presents the preliminary results of ground penetrating radar sounding applied at the desert archaeological site in Saqqara (Egypt). The survey was carried out in 2012 within a project realized by Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw and the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw. One of the key aims of the research was testing the application of ground penetrating radar to non-invasive surveys of desert archaeological sites. Radargrams obtained for area of so called the Dry Moat channel surrounding the Step Pyramid complex have shown the geological structure of its filling. It comprises among others debris-sand conglomerate of diluval origin characterized by a significant content of the clay fraction and clay minerals. Such lithological content strongly attenuate the propagation of EM waves, restricting the depth range of the GPR survey. The conducted geophysical prospection west to the Step Pyramid in Saqqara has confirmed the high applicability of the GPR method in non-invasive studies of vast architectural structures, such as the monumental ditch surrounding the Step Pyramid known as the Dry Moat. It should summarised that high horizontal resolution obtained during GPR survey is a result of local geological structure of the searched area, i.e. strong lithological contrast of the sediments filling the Dry Moat, which, depending on their mineralogical composition


Author(s):  
Jean Holloway

he De Beers Victor Mine is an open pit diamond mine, and is located in the James Bay lowlands. The lowlands are characterized by extensive peatlands overlying Tyrell Sea sediments. One of the potential impacts of open pit mining, and the focus of the current work, is the potential for differential subsistence in the Tyrell Sea sediments owing to continuous groundwater withdrawal from the underlying limestone aquifers. To fully understand the potential effects of subsistence, a better understanding of the nature and properties of the Tyrell Sea sediments is needed. This will be achieved by analyzing various properties of samples collected from the Victor Diamond Mine, and comparing those properties with values from Lake Agassiz sediments and Bearpaw Shale. Properties such as hydraulic conductivity, grain size, plastic and liquid limit, and mineralogy will be compared. It is expected that the samples from the Victor Mine are a rock flour dominated by clay fraction, composed mostly of finely ground carbonates. The sediments are expected to have high plasticity, low hydraulic conductivity, and moisture content too low for that of true clay.


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