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Coexisting nanoscale phases of K-illite, NH4,K-illite and NH4-illite-smectite: an organic nitrogen contribution in the hydrothermal system of Harghita Bãi, East Carpathians, Romania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2019

Iuliu Bobos
Iuliu Bobos*
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences – Porto, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 4168-007 Porto, Portugal
*
*E-mail: ibobos@fc.up.pt
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Abstract

Nitrogen influx was identified in the Harghita Bãi area, where the mechanism of NH4+-fixation in illitic clays is relevant for the N-input budget estimation. The nanotextural features of K-illite (K-I), NH4,K-I and NH4-illite-smectite (NH4-I-S) mixed layers observed in argillic-altered andesitic rocks from the hydrothermal area of Harghita Bãi (East Carpathians) were studied by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and transmission and analytical electron microscopy (TEM-AEM). The texture of undisturbed argillic-altered andesite rocks exhibits chaotic intergrowths of randomly oriented and curved illitic packets with abundant pore spaces and high porosity between packets. The TEM images of K-I and NH4,K-I intergrowths show subparallel packets with clear contacts, exhibiting a diffuse contrast across layers. The thicknesses of K-I and NH4,K-I packets range from 150 to 500 Å, and 1Md and 1M polytypes were identified by selected area electron diffraction patterns. Crystal chemistry of K-I, NH4,K-I and NH4-I-S was carried out by AEM. A third interlayer cation Na+ beside K+ was detected in several NH4,K-I packets. The NH4,Na,K-I packets interleaved with NH4,K-I or NH4-I-S (12% smectite layers) packets were also identified by TEM. The thicknesses of NH4,Na,K-I packets range from 300 to 1200 Å, with abundant lenses and lenticular layer separation along the boundaries between them. The 1Md polytype dominates the NH4,Na,K-I packets. Straight and parallel packets, continuous 00l layers and collapsed swelling layers at the boundary of individual NH4-I (5% smectite layers) packets with thicknesses ranging from 20 to 95 Å were observed. The nanotextural observations indicate direct crystallization of NH4-I crystals within a NH4-I-S series from a pore fluid, where NH4-I packets occupy void spaces previously occupied by fluids.

Keywords

ammonium-illiteone- and two-layer polytypetransmission and analytic electron microscopyHarghita BãiEast Carpathians

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Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 27 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2019 

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Footnotes

Guest Associate Editor: S. Potel

This paper was originally presented during the session: ‘GG01 – Clays in faults and fractures + MI-03 Clay mineral reaction progress in very low-grade temperature petrologic studies’ of the International Clay Conference 2017.

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