Electron microscopic study of the illite– smectite transformation in the bentonites from Cerro del Aguila (Toledo, Spain)

A mineralogical and microstructural study of bentonites from ‘Cerro del Aguila’ located in the Tagus Basin (Toledo, Spain) was carried out using XRD, SEM and TEM observations and chemical data obtained by TEM-EDX. The bentonites are mainly composed of trioctahedral smectite with a unit-cell formula...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Santiago Buey, Cristina de, Súarez Barrios, Mercedes, García Romero, Emilia, Domínguez Díaz, M.C., Doval, Mercedes
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:1998
País:España
Recursos:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/58536
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/58536
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:549.6(460.285)
Bentonites
Cerro del Águila (Toledo
Spain)
Electron microscopic study
Mineralogía (Geología)
2506.11 Mineralogía
Descrição
Resumo:A mineralogical and microstructural study of bentonites from ‘Cerro del Aguila’ located in the Tagus Basin (Toledo, Spain) was carried out using XRD, SEM and TEM observations and chemical data obtained by TEM-EDX. The bentonites are mainly composed of trioctahedral smectite with a unit-cell formula (Si3.76Al0.24)(Al0.44Fe3+ 0.26Mg1.81)Ca0.05K0.19O10(OH)2 and small amounts of illite. The relationships between illite and smectite particles observed by SEM and TEM allowed the study of the weathering process of illite to form smectite through possible intermediate stages. The transformation begins as an exfoliation normal to the stacking direction and develops by opening of the interlayer spacing, the replacement of K+ by hydrated interlayer cations and slight reorganization of the 2:1 layer structure. The so-called solid-state transformation process then proceeds by further dissolution and the formation of a colloidal phase acting as raw material in the growth of new phyllosilicates such as smectite.