• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2012

Illite-smectite mixed layers (I-S) occurring authigenically in diagenetic and hydrothermal environments reacts toward more illite-rich phases as temperature and potassium ion concentration increase. For that reason, I-S is often used as geothermometry and/or geochronometry at the field of hydrocarbons or ore minerals exploration. Generally, I-S shows X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of ultra-thin lamellar structures, which consist of restricted numbers of sillicate layers (normally, 5 ~ 15 layers) stacked in parallel to a-b planes. This ultra-thinness is known to decrease I-S expandability (%S) rather than theoretically expected one (short-stacking effect). We attempt here to quantify the short stacking effect of I-S using the difference of two types of expandability: one type is a maximum expandability ($%S_{Max}$) of infinite stacks of fundamental particles (physically inseparable smallest units), and the other type is an expandability of finite particle stacks normally measured using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) ($%S_{XRD}$). Eleven I-S samples from the Geumseongsan volcanic complex, Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, have been analyzed for measuring $%S_{XRD}$ and average coherent scattering thickness (CST) after size separation under 1 ${\mu}m$. Average fundamental particle thickness ($N_f$) and $%S_{Max}$ have been determined from $%S_{XRD}$ and CST using inter-parameter relationships of I-S layer structures. The discrepancy between $%S_{Max}$ and $%S_{XRD}$ (${\Delta}%S$) suggests that the maximum short-stacking effect happens approximately at 20 $%S_{XRD}$, of which point represents I-S layer structures consisting of ca. average 3-layered fundamental particles ($N_f{\approx}3$). As a result of inferring the $%S_{XRD}$ range of each Reichweite using the $%S_{XRD}$ vs. $N_f$ diagram of Kang et al. (2002), we can confirms that the fundamental particle thickness is a determinant factor for I-S Reichweite, and also that the short-stacking effect shifts the $%S_{XRD}$ range of each Reichweite toward smaller $%S_{XRD}$ values than those that can be theoretically prospected using junction probability.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2002

The object of this study was to interpret the ralationship between expandability (% $S_{XRD}$), MacEwan crystallite thickness ( $N_{CSD}$), and mean fundamental particle thickness ( $N_{F}$ ) in illite-semctite mixed layer (I-S), quantitatively. This interpretation was extracted from comparison of two structural models (MacEwan crystallite model and fundamental particle model) of I-S mixed layers. In I-S structure, % $S_{XRD}$, $N_{CSD}$, and $N_{F}$ are not independent parameters but are related to each others by particular geometric relations. % $S_{XRD}$ is dependent on $N_{CSD}$ by short-stack effect, whereas, % $S_{XRD}$ and $N_{F}$ have relation to smectite interlayer number (Ns)=( $N_{F-}$1)/(100%/% $S_{XRD-}$ $N_{F}$ . Therefore, % $S_{XRD}$ and $N_{F}$ should satisfy a specific physical condition, 1< $N_{F}$ <100%/% $S_{XRD}$, because $N_{s}$ is positive. Based on this condition, this study suggested % $S_{XRD}$ vs $N_{F}$ diagram which can be used to interpret % $S_{XRD}$, $N_{F}$ , $N_{S}$ , and ordering, quantitatively. The diagram was examined by XRD data for I-S samples from Ceumseongsan volcanic complex, Korea. I-S samples showed that $N_{F}$ departs from the physical upper-limit ( $N_{F}$ =100%/% $S_{XRD}$) with decrease in % $S_{XRD}$. This phenomenon may happen due to decrease of stacking-capability of fundamental particles with their thickening.g.s with their thickening.g.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2003

This study was performed to measure expandabilities and coherent scattering domain sizes (CSDs) of bentonite samples from Campo and Yonil area, Korea, using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and to compare their experimental data with those of international standard bentonite samples (SAz-1, STx-1, and SWy-2). Most of Gampo and Yonil bentonite samples comprised randomly interstratified illite-smectite (R0 I-S), and their expandabilities ranged over 77-100%S$_{XRD}$ from the saddle/001 method. The interstratification deformed 001 peaks of EG-solvated samples (Mering's first principle), which prohibited us from adopting these peaks to measure CSDs using BWA (Bertaut-Warren-Averbach) method. CSDs of the bentonite samples with R0 I-S could be measured through dehydration at 30$0^{\circ}C$ after K-saturation, where the deformation originated from the interstratification could be removed effectively. Campo and Yonil bentonite samples showed that their mean CSDs ranged over 3.8-5.4 interlayers, and that their CSDs distributions were similar to those of Gonzales (STx-1) and Wyoming (SWy-2) bentonite samples.