Specific features of clay minerals in ancient crusts of weathering of various rocks in diamondiferous regions

Abstract

Results of complex research of different age ancient weathering crusts in various rocks (terrigenous-carbonate rocks of Lower Paleozoic, dolerites, tuffs and tufogene formations, kimberlites) within the main diamondiferous regions of the Siberian platform indicated that complicated multicomponent composition of initial formations (with the exception of terrigenous-carbonate rocks), containing di- and trioctahedral minerals, the structure of which has tri- and bivalent rock-forming elements, stipulated decelerated transformation of the initial material. Development of incomplete weathering profiles is first of all caused by weak ejection of bivalent cations from primary minerals. That is why newly emerging phases will be dioctahedral and often preserve mixed composition of cations. The most important typomorphic indications of clay formations in the studied weathering crusts are as follows: a) omnipresent dioctahedral hydromica (2М1) in the weathering crust of terrigenouscarbonate rocks and its association in the most mature profiles with kaolinite of relatively ordered structure, than of kaolinite, having been formed at the expense of other rocks; b) constant availability of trappean formation (tuffs, tufogene rocks, dolerites) in sections of crusts of weathering together with di- and trioctahedral montmorillonite, as well as disordered vermiculite-montmorillonite mixed-layered formation, to this or that degree disordered kaolinite, associated in the weathering crust of tufogene rocks with halloysite (at complete absence of micaceous minerals in the products of weathering); c) the content in the crust of weathering of kimberlites together with polycationic montmorillonite of a significant quantity of trioctahedral chlorite (packets δ and δ'), serpentine (structural types A and B) and altered to various degree phlogopite, including related with it hydromica 1M.

Keywords

• clay minerals
• crusts of weathering
• terrigenous-carbonate rocks
• tufogene formations
• dolerites
• kimberlites