Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T19:13:41.104Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Recognition of Amorphous Silica in Indurated Soil Profiles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

Balbir Singh  and
R. J. Gilkes
Balbir Singh
Affiliation:
Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, School of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
R. J. Gilkes
Affiliation:
Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, School of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Silica-indurated subsurface horizons of an in situ lateritic profile in semi-arid western Australia were investigated using a range of electron-optical and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. These indurated materials were compared with underlying non-indurated pallid zone material. The secondary silica content of the indurated horizons, as determined by electron microprobe analysis, varied from 8 to 33%. Quantitative digital images for secondary silica, generated by mathematical manipulation of digital Si and AI-Kα: images, showed that kaolinite pseudomorphs after mica contained the lowest amounts of secondary silica, with the highest amounts being present in the inter-pseudomorph clay matrix. Variations in the amount of silica in the matrix are considered to reflect variations in the initial porosity of the clay matrix. Such variations may arise from differences in the Al/Si ratio of parent minerals. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that amorphous silica adhered to the (001) face of kaolinite crystals. The secondary silica could not be detected by either standard or differential XRD procedures.

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , September 1993 , pp. 461 - 474
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1993

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

Anand, R.R., Gilkes, R.J., Armitage, T.M. & Hillyer, J.W. (1985) Feldspar weathering in a lateritic saprolite. Clays Clay Miner. 33, 31—43.Google Scholar
Brewer, R., Bettenay, E. & Churchward, H.M. (1972) Some aspects of the origin and development of the red and brown hard pan soils of Bulloo Downs, Western Australia. Division of Soils Technical Paper No. 13. CSIRO, Australia.Google Scholar
Brewer, R. (1976) Fabric and Mineral Analysis of Soils,p. 482. R. E. Krieger Publishing Company, Huntington, New York.Google Scholar
Burr, C.R.M. (1983) Aluminosilicate cementation of saprolite, grits and silcretes in Western Australia. J. Geol. Soc. Aust. 30, 179–186.Google Scholar
Burr, C.R.M. (1985) Granite weathering and silcrete formation on the Yilgam Block, Western Australia. Aust. J. Earth Sci.32, 415—432.Google Scholar
Chadwick, O.A., Hendricks, D.M. & Nettleton, W.D. (1987) Silica in Duric soils: I. A depositional model. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 51, 975–982.Google Scholar
Drees, L.R., Wilding, L.P., Smeck, N.E. & Senkayi, A.L. (1989) Silica in soils: Quartz and disordered silica polymorphs. Pp. 913-974 in: Minerals in Soils Environments(J.B. Dixon & S.B. Weed, editors). Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Flach, K.W., Nettleton, W.D., Gile, L.H. & Cady, J.C. (1969) Pedocementation: induration by silica, carbonates, and sesquioxides in the Quaternary. Soil Sci. 107, 442–453.Google Scholar
Gilkes, R.J., Scholz, A. & Dimmock, G.M. (1973) Lateritic deep weathering of granite. J. Soil Sci. 24, 523–536.Google Scholar
Gilkes, R.J. & Suddhiprakarn, A. (1979) Biotite alteration in deeply weathered granite. II. The oriented growth of secondary minerals. Clays Clay Miner. 27, 361–367.Google Scholar
Hurd, D.C. & Theyer, F. (1977) Changes in the physical and chemical properties of biogenic opal from the central equatorial Pacific: Part II. Refractive index, density and water content of acid-cleaned samples. Am. J. Sci. 277, 1168–1202.Google Scholar
Jones, J.B. & Segnit, E.R. (1971) The nature of opal. I. Nomenclature and constituent phases. J. Geol. Soc. Aust. 18, 57–68.Google Scholar
Langford-Smith, T. (1978) Silcrete in Australia. Mongr. Ser., Dept. Geography, Univ. New England, Armidale.Google Scholar
McCrea, A.F., Anand, R.R. & Gilkes, R.J. (1990) Mineralogical and physical properties of lateritic pallid zone materials developed from granite and dolerite. Geoderma 47, 33–57.Google Scholar
Millot, G. (1970) Geology of Clays. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.Google Scholar
Schulze, D.G. (1981) Identification of soil iron oxides minerals by differentia] X-ray diffraction. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45, 437–440.Google Scholar
Schwertmann, U., Schulze, D.G. & Murad, E. (1982) Identification of ferrihydrite in soils by dissolution kinetics, differential X-ray diffraction, and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 46, 869–875.Google Scholar
Simpson, T.L. & Volcani, B.E. (1981) Silicon and Siliceous Structures in Biological Systems. Springer-Verlag,New York, Inc. Secaucus, NJ. Google Scholar
Singh, Balbir & Gilkes, R.J. (1991) Weathering of chromian muscovite to kaolinite. Clays Clay Miner. 39,571-579. Singh Balbir & Gilkes R.J. (1992) XPAS: An interactive computer program for analysis of powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Powder Diffraction 7, 6–10.Google Scholar
Singh, Balwant & Gilkes, R.J. (1992) Properties of soil kaolinites from south-western Australia. J. Soil Sci. 43, 645–667.Google Scholar
Wilding, L.P. & Drees, L.R. (1971) Biogenic opal in Ohio soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 35, 1004–1010.Google Scholar
Wilding, L.P. & Drees, L.R. (1974) Contributions of forest opal and associated crystalline phases to fine silt and clay fractions of soils. Clay Clay Miner. 22, 295–306.Google Scholar
Williams, I.R. (1975) South Western province. Pp. 65-69 in: Geology of Western Australia.West. Australian Geol. Survey, Mem. 2.Google Scholar