Micromorphology of the initial weathering products of feldspars

E. A. Nater, R. Bouabid

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Freshly ground albite samples were subjected to 10 days of weathering in low ionic strength aqueous solutions having a pH of 3.50. The samples were weathered in a single pass, short column reactor. Solutions were not recirculated to prevent the accumulation of dissolution products in solution. Weathering products, along with small fragments of the feldspar surface, were removed from the albite surface by sonication and analyzed by high resolution TEM and electron diffraction. Two types of weathering products were observed - a platy crystalline phyllosilicate that has been identified as kaolinite, and a short-range ordered hydrous material that has granular inclusions. Lattice images of the feldspar fragments showed the breakdown of the feldspar lattice into 'thread-like' structures with 17 to 20 Å spacings.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)525-530
Number of pages6
JournalDevelopments in Soil Science
Volume19
Issue numberC
StatePublished - 1990

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