• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.399-410
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• 1985

Bentonites from the Janggi Group of the Lower Miocene age from the Geumgwangdong area, Korea, have been studied for mineralogical and genetic characterization. The Janggi Group is subdivided, in ascending order, into the Janggi Conglomerate, the Nuldaeri Tuff, the Geumgwangdong Shale, the Lower Coal-bearing Formation, the Basaltic Tuff, and the Upper Coalbearing Formation. Bentonites occur as thin or thick beds in all sedimentary units of the Janggi Group, except for the Janggi Conglomerate. Significant bentonite deposits are found in the Nuldaeri Tuff, the Lower Coal-bearing Formation and the Basaltic Tuff. Bentonites consist mainly of smectite (mainly montmorillonite), with minor quartz, cristobalite, opal-CT and feldspar. Occasionally, kaolinite, clinoptilolite or gypsum is associated with bentonites. Bentonites were studied by the methods of petrographic microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DT A and TG), infrared absorption spectroscopic analysis, SEM, intercalation reaction, and chemical analysis. Smectites commonly occur as irregular boxwork-like masses with characteristic curled thin edges, but occasionally as smoothly curved to nearly flat thin flakes. Most of smectites have layer charge of 0.25-0.42, indicating typical montmorillonite. Crystal-chemical relations suggest that Fe is the dominant substituent for Al in the octahedral layer and there are generally no significant substituents for Si in the tetrahedral layer. Ca is the dominant interlayer cation in montmorillonite. Therefore, montmorillonite from the study area is dioctahedral Ca-montmorillonite. Occurrence and fabrics of bentonites suggest that smectites as well as cristobalite, opal-CT and zeolites have been formed diagenetically from tuffaceous materials. The precursor of smectites is trachytic or basaltic tuff. Smectites derived from the former contain relatively more $Al_2O$ a and less $Fe_2O_3$ than those from the latter.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2004

A zeolitic bentonite, which exhibits whitish appearance and contains considerable amounts (nearly 〉 5%) of zeolites, frequently occurs as thin beds less than 1 m in Yeongil area. The bentonites are mostly found in closely association with zeolite beds in the Nuldaeri Tuff and Coal-bearing formations of the Janggi Croup. A discordant occurrence of the bentonite against the bedding plane is also locally found. Montmorillonite, the major mineral constituent of the bentonite, is mostly associated with clinoptilolite as a zeolite. However, instead of clinoptilolite, mordenite is sometimes included in the case of more silicic bentonite, and heulandite in the less silicic one. It is characteristic that the mordenite is accompanied by lots of opal-CT in the silicic bentonite. SEM observations characteristically indicate that these authigenic phases, especially the montmorillonite and zeolite, nearly coexist as mixtures not forming a fine-scale zoning. The zeolitic bentonite seems to be formed in the comparatively silicic pore fluid at the alkaline condition accompanying pH fluctuation Compared to the zeolite-free normal bentonite, the zeolitic types exhibit somewhat higher REE abundance. These chemical characteristics, together with modes of occurrences and authigenic mineral associations, may suggest that the zeolitic bentonite is not merely diagenetic products and a possible hydrothermal alteration could not be excluded in the bentonite genesis.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.377-393
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• 2010

Pumiceous tuffs occurring in the Beomgockri Group are examined applied-mineralogical characteristics and their controling factors to evaluate their potentials as the adsorption-functional mineral resources. The pumiceous tuffs are diagenetically altered to low-grade zeolitcs and bentonites in the Janggi area. Compositional specialty due to the presence of pumice fragments induces the altered tuffs to exhibit the characteristic adsorption property combined with cation exchange capacity, specific surface area, and acidic pH. Unusual lower pH in the adsorption-functional mineral substances is turned out to be originated from the presence of H-smectite having $H^+$ in the interlayer site of the sheet structure. On account of disordered crystallinity resulting from the exchanged $H^+$ in the interlayer site, the smectite commonly forms crenulated edges in the planar crystal form and exhibits characteristic X-ray diffraction patterns showing comparatively lower intensities of basal spacings including (001) peak than conventional Ca-smectite. Based on the interpretation of paragenetic relations and precursor of the H-smectite, a genetic model of the peculiar clay mineral was proposed. The smectite formation may be facilitated resulting from the precipitation of opal-CT at decreasing pH condition caused by the release of H+ during diagenetic alteration of pumice fragments. Because of the acidic smectite, the low-grade mineral resources from the Beomgockri Group may be applicable to the adsorption industry as the raw materials of acid clays and bed-soil.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.135-149
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• 2003

Domestic zeolite ores are mostly composed of Ca-type clinoptilolite, accompanying a little amounts of mordenite. However, other types of zeolite ores rich in ferrierite, heulandite, or mordenite are less commonly found. Based on the quantitative XRD analysis, zeolite contents are determined to be nearly 50∼90 wt%. Impurities (mostly ＞ 10 wt%) in the zeolite ores chiefly consist of quartz, feldspar, smectite, and opal-CT. The determined CEC values ($CEC_{AA}$ ) of powdery samples (grain size: < 125 $\mu\textrm{m}$) of zeolite ores by the Ammonium Acetate method are mostly higher than 100 meq/100 g. Some zeolites from the Guryongpo area, corresponding to the clinoptilolite ore, are measured to be dominantly high in CEC values ranging 170∼190 meq/100 g. Cation exchange property of the zeolite ores varies greatly depending on the types or zeolite species present in the ores. Despite of the lower grade in zeolite content, the $CEC_{AA}$ of ferrierite ore is comparatively high. Compared to this, the $CEC_{AA }$ of heulandite ore is very low, though the zeolite ore exhibits the highest grade ranging up to about 90 wt%. In addition, the CEC values calculated theoretically from the framework composition of clinoptilolite-heulandite series are not consistent with those determined by the cation exchage experiment. The measured $CEC_{AA}$ of clinoptilolite ores are generally higher than those of heulandite ores. This may be due to the higher Ca abundance in exchangeable cation composition and the presence of probable stacking faults in heulandite. The variation of $CEC_{CEC}$ is roughly proportional, though not strictly compatible, to the zeolite contents in clinoptilolite ores. It seems to be caused by the fact that the $CEC_{AA}$ of clinoptilolite locally varies depending on crystal-chemical diversity, i. e., the variation in framework composition (Si/Al) and exchangeable cation composition (especially, the contents of Ca and K). In addition, the determined CEC values ($CEC_{MB}$ ) of zeolite ores by the Methylene Blue method are much higher than those calculated from smectite contents. It suggests a probable reaction of Methylene Blue ion ($C_{16}$ $H_{18}$ $N_3$S+) with larger-pore zeolites than clinoptlolite-heulandite series, i.e., ferrierite and mordenite as well as with smectite. This can be supported by the fact that the ferrierite ore accompanying little amount of smectite has the highest value in CE $C_{MB}$ .