Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 July 2018
Hand-made bricks were manufactured from natural sediments by firing at 700°C and 800°C after which they were hydrothermally altered at 150°C in a high-pressure reactor for 1200 h. Sediments and fired pieces were studied by X-ray diffraction. The <2 μm size-fraction of fired and hydrolysed samples were also studied by X-ray diffraction and oxygen isotope analysis. The oxygen isotope composition of the samples became depleted in 18O by alteration. Our results are consistent with a process of hydration and hydroxylation of the partially destroyed clay minerals in the fired bricks. The work is relevant to understanding the origins and alteration processes in old ceramic materials.