Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T19:22:11.511Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The 10 Å to 7 Å Halloysite Transition in a Tropical Soil Sequence, Costa Rica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Christopher Q. Kautz  and
Peter C. Ryan
Christopher Q. Kautz
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
Peter C. Ryan*
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: pryan@middlebury.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Soils developed on Pleistocene andesitic lava flows and fluvial detritus in the Atlantic coastal plain of Costa Rica display a clay mineral assemblage that includes 10 Å and 7 Å halloysite and lesser amounts of kaolinite and dioctahedral vermiculite. Other secondary minerals include gibbsite, goethite, hematite, maghemite, allophane and amorphous Al hydroxides. Active floodplain soils are dominated by 10 Å halloysite and contain less allophane, while soil clays from Pleistocene terraces consist of a mixture of 10 Å and 7 Å halloysite as well as less dioctahedral vermiculite, kaolinite, and amorphous Al hydroxides. Residual soils formed on Pleistocene lava flows are dominated by 7 Å halloysite with less abundant kaolinite, dioctahedral vermiculite, 10 Å halloysite and amorphous Al hydroxides. This sequence suggests transformations of 10 Å halloysite to 7 Å halloysite and allophane to amorphous Al hydroxides with time. The presence of 10 Å halloysite in Pleistocene terrace soils implies slow reaction rates or metastability.

Quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) analysis indicates a decrease in the amount of plagioclase feldspar from 34 wt.% in the 1–2 year floodplain to 0–1.6% in terrace and residual soils. Plagioclase weathering is paralleled by the formation of dioctahedral clay, allophane and Al hydroxides. Analysis by QXRD also indicates that crystalline minerals comprise 70–95% of the soil fraction, implying 5–30% X-ray-amorphous material. These data are verified by selective extraction using ammonium oxalate, which indicates 8–30% amorphous material. Chemical analysis of the extractant by inductively coupled plasmaatomic emission spectrometry indicates that allophane (Al:Si ratios of 0.92–3.82) occurs in floodplain and some terrace soils while amorphous Al hydroxides appear to coexist with allophane in Pleistocene terrace and residual soils with Al:Si ratios of 6.53–8.53. Retention of Mg to a greater extent than Na, Ca and K suggests Mg incorporation into hydroxide sheets in dioctahedral vermiculite as well as substitution into hydroxides.

Keywords

AllophaneAndesiteCosta RicaHalloysiteKaolinSoilTerraceTropicalVermiculiteWeathering
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , June 2003 , pp. 252 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © 2003, The Clay Minerals Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agbu, P.A. Jones, R.L. and Ahmad, N., (1990) Mineralogy and weathering of a Trinidad Ultisol developed in porcellanite Soil Science 149 272–279 10.1097/00010694-199005000-00004.Google Scholar
Alvarado, G., (1990) Caracteristicas geologicas de la Estacion Biologica La Selva, Costa Rica Tecnología en Marcha 10 11 22.Google Scholar
Barshad, I. (1966) The effect of a variation in precipitation on the nature of clay mineral formation in soils from acid and basic igneous rocks. Proceedings of the International Clay Conference, Jerusalem, 167–173.Google Scholar
Bestland, E.A. Retallack, G.J. and Swisher, C.C. III, (1997) Stepwise climate change recorded in Eocene-Oligocene sequences from central Oregon Journal of Geology 105 153–172 10.1086/515906.Google Scholar
Birkeland, P.W., (1969) Quaternary paleoclimatic implications of soil clay mineral distribution in a Sierra Nevada-Great Basin transect Journal of Geology 77 289–302 10.1086/627436.Google Scholar
Brindley, G.W. and Brown, G., (1980) Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and their X-ray Identification London Mineralogical Society.Google Scholar
Brindley, G.W. and Goodyear, J., (1948) The transition of halloysite to metahalloysite in relation to relative humidity Mineralogical Magazine 28 407–422 10.1180/minmag.1948.028.203.02.Google Scholar
Calvert, C.S. Buol, S.W. and Weed, S.B., (1980) Mineralogical characteristics and transformations of a vertical rock-saprolite-soil sequence in the North Carolina Piedmont: II. Feldspar alteration — their transformations through the profile Soil Science Society of America Journal 44 1104–1112 10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050045x.Google Scholar
Chukhrov, F.V. and Zvyagin, B.B. (1966) Halloysite: a crystallochemically and mineralogically distinct species. Proceedings of the International Clay Conference, Jerusalem, 11–25.Google Scholar
Churchman, G.J., (1990) Relevance of different intercalation tests for distinguishing halloysite from kaolinite in soils Clays and Clay Minerals 38 591–599 10.1346/CCMN.1990.0380604.Google Scholar
Churchman, G.J. and Carr, R.M., (1975) The definition and nomenclature of halloysites Clays and Clay Minerals 23 382–388 10.1346/CCMN.1975.0230510.Google Scholar
Churchman, G.J. Aldridge, L.P. and Carr, R.M., (1972) The relationship between hydrated and dehydrated states of an halloysite Clays and Clay Minerals 20 241–246 10.1346/CCMN.1972.0200409.Google Scholar
Churchman, G.J. Whitton, J.S. Claridge, G.C.C. and Theng, B.K.G., (1984) Intercalation method using formamide for differentiating halloysite from kaolinite Clays and Clay Minerals 32 241–248 10.1346/CCMN.1984.0320401.Google Scholar
Costanzo, P.M. and Giese, R.F., (1985) Dehydration of synthetic hydrated kaolinites; a model for the dehydration of halloysite (10 Å) Clays and Clay Minerals 33 415–423 10.1346/CCMN.1985.0330507.Google Scholar
Delvaux, B. Herbillon, A.J. Vielvoye, L. and Mestdagh, M.M., (1990) Surface properties and clay mineralogy of hydrated halloysitic soil clays. II: Evidence for the presence of halloysite/smectite (H/Sm) mixed-layer clays Clay Minerals 25 141–160 10.1180/claymin.1990.025.2.02.Google Scholar
Drever, J.I., (1973) The preparation of oriented clay mineral specimens for X-ray diffraction analysis by a filter membrane peel technique American Mineralogist 58 553 554.Google Scholar
Drever, J.I., (1997) The Geochemistry of Natural Waters: Surface and Groundwater Environments Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Prentice Hall 436 pp.Google Scholar
Eswaran, H. and Wong, C.B., (1978) A study of a deep weathering profile on granite in peninsular Malaysia: III. Alteration of feldspars Soil Science Society of America Journal 42 154–158 10.2136/sssaj1978.03615995004200010034x.Google Scholar
Grieve, I.C. Proctor, J. and Cousins, S.A., (1990) Soil variation with altitude on Volcan Barva, Costa Rica Catena 17 525–534 10.1016/0341-8162(90)90027-B.Google Scholar
Hillier, S., (1999) Use of an air brush to spray dry samples for X-ray powder diffraction Clay Minerals 34 127–135 10.1180/000985599545984.Google Scholar
Hillier, S. and Ryan, P.C., (2002) Identification of halloysite (7 Å) by ethylene glycol solvation: the ‘MacEwan effect’ Clay Minerals 37 487–496 10.1180/0009855023730047.Google Scholar
Hughes, J.C., (1980) Crystallinity of kaolin minerals and their weathering sequence in some soils from Nigeria, Brazil, and Colombia Geoderma 24 317–325 10.1016/0016-7061(80)90059-2.Google Scholar
Jackson, M.L. and Bear, F.E., (1964) Chemical composition of soils Chemistry of the Soil New York Reinhold 71 141.Google Scholar
Janzen, D.H., (1983) Costa Rican Natural History USA University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Jeong, G.Y., (1998) Formation of vermicular kaolinite from halloysite aggregates in the weathering of plagioclase Clays and Clay Minerals 46 270–279 10.1346/CCMN.1998.0460306.Google Scholar
Jongmans, A.G. Verburg, P. Nieuwenhuyse, A. and van Oort, F., (1995) Allophane, imogolite, and gibbsite in coatings in a Costa Rican Andisol Geoderma 64 327–342 10.1016/0016-7061(94)00015-3.Google Scholar
MacEwan, D.M.C., (1948) Complexes of clays with organic compounds I. Complex formation between montmorillonite and halloysite and certain organic liquids Transactions of the Faraday Society 44 349–367 10.1039/tf9484400349.Google Scholar
Masui, J. and Shoji, S. (1969) Crystalline clay minerals in volcanic ash soils of Japan. Proceedings of the International Clay Conference, Tokyo, 383–392.Google Scholar
McBride, M.B., (1994) Environmental Chemistry of Soils New York Oxford University Press 406 pp.Google Scholar
Merino, E. Harvey, C. and Murray, H.H., (1989) Aqueous-chemical control of the tetrahedral-aluminum content of quartz, halloysite, and other low-temperature silicates Clays and Clay Minerals 37 135–142 10.1346/CCMN.1989.0370204.Google Scholar
Mizota, C. and Van Reeuwijk, L.P., (1989) Clay Mineralogy and Chemistry of Soils Formed in Volcanic Material in Diverse Climatic Regions Wageningen, Netherlands International Soil Reference and Information Centre 185 pp.Google Scholar
Moore, D.M. and Reynolds, R.C. Jr, (1997) X-ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals New York Oxford University Press 378 pp.Google Scholar
Nagasawa, K., Sudo, T. and Shimoda, S., (1978) Kaolin minerals Clays and Clay Minerals of Japan Amsterdam Elsevier 189–215 10.1016/S0070-4571(08)70686-1.Google Scholar
Newman, A.C.D. Brown, G. and Newman, A.C.D., (1987) The chemical constitution of clays Chemistry of Clays and Clay Minerals London Mineralogical Society 1 129.Google Scholar
Nieuwenhuyse, A. and van Breemen, N., (1997) Quantitative aspects of weathering and neoformation in selected Costa Rican volcanic soils Soil Science Society of America Journal 61 1450–1458 10.2136/sssaj1997.03615995006100050024x.Google Scholar
Nieuwenhuyse, A. Verburg, P.S.J. and Jongmans, A.G., (2000) Mineralogy of a soil chronosequence on andesitic lava in humid tropical Costa Rica Geoderma 98 61–82 10.1016/S0016-7061(00)00052-5.Google Scholar
Parham, W.E., (1969) Formation of halloysite from feldspar; low temperature, artificial weathering versus natural weathering Clays and Clay Minerals 17 13–22 10.1346/CCMN.1969.0170104.Google Scholar
Parfitt, R.L. Saigusa, M. and Cowie, J.D., (1984) Allophane and halloysite formation in a volcanic ash bed under different moisture conditions Soil Science 138 360–364 10.1097/00010694-198411000-00007.Google Scholar
Pevear, D.R. Dethier, D.P. and Frank, D., (1982) Clay minerals in the 1980 deposits from Mount St. Helens Clays and Clay Minerals 30 241–252 10.1346/CCMN.1982.0300401.Google Scholar
Quantin, P. Balesdent, J. Bouleau, A. Delaune, M. and Feller, C., (1991) Premiers stades d’altèration de ponces volcaniques en climat tropical humide (Montagne Pelèe, Martinique) Geoderma 50 125–148 10.1016/0016-7061(91)90030-W.Google Scholar
Retallack, G.J. (1983) Eocene and Oligocene paleosols from Badlands Nati on al Park, S outh Dakota. Geological Society of America, Special Paper, 193, 82 pp.Google Scholar
Righi, D. Terribile, F. and Petit, S., (1999) Pedogenic formation of kaolinite-smectite mixed layers in a soil toposequence developed from basaltic parent material in Sardinia (Italy) Clays and Clay Minerals 47 505–514 10.1346/CCMN.1999.0470413.Google Scholar
Robertson, I.D.M. and Eggleton, R.A., (1991) Weathering of granitic muscovite to kaolinite and halloysite and of plagioclase-derived kaolinite to halloysite Clays and Clay Minerals 39 113–126 10.1346/CCMN.1991.0390201.Google Scholar
Singh, B. and Gilkes, R.J., (1992) An electron-optical investigation of the alteration of kaolinite to halloysite Clays and Clay Minerals 40 212–229 10.1346/CCMN.1992.0400211.Google Scholar
Sollins, P. Sancho, M. Mata, R. Sanford, R.L. Jr, McDade, L.A. Bawa, K.S. Hespenheide, H.A. and Hartshorn, G.S., (1994) Soils and soil process Research La Selva: Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Rain Forest Chicago University of Chicago Press 34 53.Google Scholar
Starkey, H.C., Blackmon, P.D. and Hauff, P.L. (1984) The routine mineralogical analysis of clay-bearing samples. United States Geological Survey Bulletin, 1563, 32 pp.Google Scholar
Takahashi, T. Dahlgren, R. and van Susteren, P., (1993) Clay mineralogy and chemistry of soils formed in volcanic materials in the xeric moisture regime of Northern California Geoderma 59 131–150 10.1016/0016-7061(93)90066-T.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tan, K.H. Perkins, H.F. and McCreery, R.A., (1975) Amorphous and crystalline clays in volcanic ash soils of Indonesia and Costa Rica Soil Science 119 431–440 10.1097/00010694-197506000-00005.Google Scholar
Tokashiki, Y. and Wada, K., (1975) Weathering implications of the mineralogy of clay fractions of two ando soils, Kyushu Geoderma 14 47–62 10.1016/0016-7061(75)90012-9.Google Scholar
Wada, K., Dixon, J.B. and Weed, S.B., (1989) Allophane and imogolite Minerals in Soil Environments 2nd Wisconsin Madison 1051 1087.Google Scholar
Watanabe, T. Sawada, Y. Russell, J.D. McHardy, W.J. and Wilson, M.J., (1992) The conversion of montmorillonite to interstratified halloysite-smectite by weathering in the Omi acid clay deposit, Japan Clay Minerals 27 159–173 10.1180/claymin.1992.027.2.02.Google Scholar