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Clay stability in clay-dominated soil systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

D. Righi,
B. Velde and
A. Meunier
D. Righi
Affiliation:
Laboratoires de Pédologie et Pétrologie des Altérations Hydrothermales, UA 721, CNRS, Faculté des Sciences, 86022 Poitiers Cedex
B. Velde
Affiliation:
Laboratoires de Pédologie et Pétrologie des Altérations Hydrothermales, UA 721, CNRS, Faculté des Sciences, 86022 Poitiers CedexDépartement de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
A. Meunier
Affiliation:
Laboratoires de Pédologie et Pétrologie des Altérations Hydrothermales, UA 721, CNRS, Faculté des Sciences, 86022 Poitiers Cedex
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Abstract

Seven samples from a chronosequence of soils developed in historically created polders on the Atlantic coast (Marais Poitevin, Vendée, France) were investigated in order to illustrate the rate of mineralogical change in a clay-dominated system. The oldest polder was constructed in 1665, the last one in 1912; thus the time span of soil evolution is from 80 to 330 years. All the samples had more than 50% clay (<2 μm). The most reactive, fine clay sub-fraction (<0.1 μm) was investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction and chemical analysis. The observed mineralogical changes with increasing age followed the schematic reaction:

smectite + mica = illite + mixed-layer minerals.

The progress of reaction in time appears to be non-linear. This reaction seems to occur in a chemically constant system, and the mineralogical change can be seen as a readjustment of species to a given chemical composition.

Resume

Resume

Sept échantillons d'une chronoséquence de sols de polders de la côte Atlantique (Marais Poitevin, Vendée, France) ont été étudiés dans le but d'apprécier la cinétique des transformations minéralogiques dans des sols très argileux. Le polder le plus ancien est daté de 1665, le plus récent de 1912. La durée d'évolution des sols s'échelonne donc de 80 à 330 années. Tousles échantillons one une teneur en argile (<2 μm) supérieure à 50%. La fraction d'argile fine (<0.1 μm) considérée comrne la plus réactive a été étudiée de façon détaillée par diffraction de rayons X et analyse chimique. Avec le temps les changements minéralogiques suivent la réaction:

smectite + mica = illite + interstratifiés.

La progression de la réaction n'est pas linéaire et elle semble se produire dans un système chimiquement invariant. Les changements minéralogiques peuvent être considérés comme un réajustement des structures minéralogiques aux conditions chimiques du systéme.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , March 1995, pp. 45 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1995

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