Mafic phyllosilicates in low-grade metabasites. Characterization using deconvolution analysis — discussion

Abstract

AbstractAny X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of mixed-layered maximum R1 ordered chlorite-smectite has an exact equivalent R0 smectite-corrensite or R0 chlorite-corrensite. The identification of a mineral as chlorite (0.8)-smectite R1 is, therefore, not evidence that the fundamental layers in such an interstratified structure are actually chlorite and smectite. Furthermore, there are no obvious differences between XRD patterns of R0 and R1 chlorite-smectite at high or low smectite contents. Therefore the frequently supposed identification of R0 chlorite-smectite with high smectite contents is also questionable. It follows that the identification of R1 chlorite (0.8)-smectite by Robinson & Bevins (1994) and of R0 chlorite (≈0.2)-smectite in an earlier publication (Robinson et al.,1993) cannot be used as evidence regarding the debate over the nature of the component layers in interstratified minerals intermediate between trioctahedral smectite and chlorite.Diffraction patterns of natural mixed-layer chlorite minerals from metabasites often show a strong reflection at 31 Å yet a lack of resolution of other mixed-layer peaks from those of discrete chlorite. These features cannot be matched by any single mixed-layer mineral consisting of layers of chlorite and smectite and were matched by Robinson & Bevins (1994) using a mixture of different chlorite-smectite minerals. However, they can be matched by a single chlorite-corrensite mineral in which there is an element of segregation of layer types. These different possibilities need to be investigated further.