Origin of clay minerals on section of Luochuan loess-palaeosol in Shaanxi Province, northwest China

doi:10.1007/s11707-020-0826-0

Front. Earth Sci.

2020, Vol. 14

Issue (4) : 684-694 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-020-0826-0

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Origin of clay minerals on section of Luochuan loess-palaeosol in Shaanxi Province, northwest China

Chang Dok WON¹(

), HanLie HONG^2,³, Kum Ryong PAK¹

¹. Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang 999093, D.P.R. of Korea
². School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
³. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China

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Abstract

Crystallinity, polytype, and morphology of clay minerals in the Luochuan loess-palaeosols in Shaanxi Province, northwest China were studied in order to have an insight into their origin using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The SEM observations showed that the morphology of some illites seems to be lath-shaped crystals. An analysis of illite crystallinity (IC) on the Luochuan section indicated that the origin of illite was related to the rocks of an anchizone. Most illite in the Luochuan loess-palaeosol section were of 2M₁ polytype, but some were of 1M polytype formed by weathering of feldspar in the process of pedogenesis. Illite in the Luochuan section has undergone both physical and chemical weathering. These results revealed that most illite were of detrital origin related to the source area of an anchizone, but parts of the illite were of an authigenic origin formed during pedogenesis after sedimentation. Chlorites in the samples of the Luochuan section were mainly composed of irregular flaky grains and their crystallinity was good. These showed that chlorite had the detrital origin formed by physical weathering. Kaolinite crystallinity was relatively good. The value of CIA on the Luochuan section ranges from 61.9 to 69, and therefore kaolinite could not be formed during weathering and pedogenesis. These results indicated that the kaolinite had a detrital origin. Morphology of smectite seems to be capillaceous. The XRD patterns of all samples contained diffraction peaks at 1.5218 Å (nontronite) and 1.5052 Å (montmorillonite), thus indicating an intermediate composition between trioctahedral and dioctahedral smectite. The smectite crystallinity was very poor. These results revealed that smectite in the study area was authigenic rather than detrital origin.

Keywords clay minerals crystallinity loess-palaeosol origin polytype

Corresponding Author(s): Chang Dok WON

Online First Date: 29 October 2020 Issue Date: 08 January 2021

Cite this article:

Chang Dok WON,HanLie HONG,Kum Ryong PAK. Origin of clay minerals on section of Luochuan loess-palaeosol in Shaanxi Province, northwest China[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2020, 14(4): 684-694.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-020-0826-0
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2020/V14/I4/684

Fig.1 Schematic geological map of the study area and sampling.

Fig.2 The profiles showing soil types of study area. (a) Field view showing the occurrence of loess and palaeosol; (b) The loess is grey-yellow and the palaeosol is light brown.

Fig.3 XRD patterns of oriented clay samples (LC-057, LC-296) saturated with ethylene glycol.

Fig.4 The XRD spectra of the bulk samples for illite polytype analysis.

Fig.5 d(060) diffraction patterns of clay minerals of loess in Luochuan section.

Fig.6 d(060) diffraction patterns of clay minerals of palaeosol in Luochuan section.

Tab.1 The content ratio between 1M and 2M₁ polytype illite in Luochuan section

Fig.7 SEM images of the clay minerals in the Luochuan section. (a) Lath-shaped illite (LC-443); (b) Fleecy smectite (LC-409).

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