Origin and evolution of smectites in recent marine sediments of the NE Atlantic. Clay Minerals

• Main Authors: M. Parra, P. Delmont, A. Ferragne, C. Latouche, J. C. Pons, Andc Puechmaille
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1985
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.613.487; http://www.minersoc.org/pages/Archive-CM/Volume_20/20-3-335.pdf

the Faeroe Islands are characterized bythe abundance and predominance of smectites. Smectites increase regularly and systematically near volcanic areas. Their origin from (i) meteoric/ deuteric weathering, (ii) hydrothermal products, (iii) neoformation i the marine nvironment or (iv) transformation during their transport o or stay in oceanic regions is considered in a comparative study of three types of environments onor near the Faeroe Islands. These are (1) a basaltic environment where phyllite minerals of deuteric and hydrothermal origin are abundant; (2) a soil environment formed on basaltic flows; (3) a marine sedimentary environment within adjacent sedimentary basins. This investigation clearly shows the link between hydrothermal and deuteric saponite--celadonite i basalt, Fe,Mg-smectite n Faeroe soils and Fe-smectite in marine sediments. A question often considered by geologists (e.g. Yeroshchev-Shak, 1964; Griffin et al., 1968; Rateev et al., 1969) is the abundance, and often predominance, of smectite in clay assemblages within the Icelandic Basin of the N Atlantic. There is general agreement that smectites increase near the emerged basaltic areas of Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. This increase appears to be constant and characterizes Quaternary sedimentation i the NE