High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy of Tremolite-to-Talc Reaction at the Dongyang Talc Deposit

동양 활석광상에서의 투각섬석-활석 반응에 관한 고분해능 투과전자현미경학적 연구

Tremolite crystals from the Dongyang talc deposit were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to characterize the tremolite-to-talc reaction. [001] HRTEM images of tremolite show intergrowths of wide-chain pyriboles and talc; talc is the primary alteration product of tremolite, and triple-chain structures occur sparsely. The boundaries between tremolite and talc are commonly well defined by (010) and (100) interfaces. (001) talc layers are parallel to (100) of tremolite, and the interfaces between tremolite and talc appear to be coherent in HRTEM images, indicating that most talc laters formed directly from tremolite by a gydration reaction. However, some talc formed along (110) of tremolite, and talc layers are not extended from (010) of tremolite, suggesting that part of talc in the deposit was produced through a dissolution-precipitation mechanism. Carbonate minerals are also associated with tremolite and talc. Common replacement of dolomite by calcite indicates that the tremolite-to-talc reaction results in remnant Ca, which was eventually consumed to replace dolomite to form clacite. Some Mg Produced by dolomite during reaction to calcite was apparently utilized to form talc, because talc formation from tremolite requires extra Mg. Although talc could be formend directly from dolomite, extensive alteration of tremolite to talc suggests that part of talc of the deposit was produced from tremolite that was formed by dolomite reaction during an early stage metamorphism.