Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology

, Volume 42, Issue 3, pp 259–271 | Cite as

Low-temperature compatibility relations of the assemblage quartz-paragonite and the thermodynamic status of the phase rectorite

  • Niranjan D. Chatterjee
Article
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Abstract

The reaction 3 Na-montmorillonite + 2 albite ⇌ 3 paragonite + 8 quartz has been studied experimentally using starting materials composed of natural low albite, kaolinite and quartz. Rate studies at 2, 4 and 7 kb demonstrate that the reaction takes place at ∼335−315° C from lower to higher pressures. Attempts to reverse this reaction with runs lasting several months were without success. Comparison with pertinent data from natural mineral assemblages indicate that despite non-reversal, the data presented here may be very near to the true lower thermal compatibility limit of the assemblage quartz-paragonite.

The above reaction becomes metastable beyond the upper pressure stability limit of the phase Na-montmorillonite; it is replaced here by another reaction 1 albite + 1 kaolinite ⇌ 1 paragonite + 2 quartz + 1 H2O, as suggested originally by Zen (1960). A P-T-grid showing possible compatibility relations of the assemblage quartz-paragonite is provided (Fig. 4). Perusal of natural assemblages belonging to the subsystem Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O lends credence to this grid.

In course of the rate studies reported here, various regular paragonite-sodium montmorillonite mixed-layer phases were encountered (Fig. 2); the 1∶1 regular mixed-layer phase represents the synthetic analogue of the mineral rectorite (sometimes called allevardite), widely recorded from deep diagenetic and anchimetamorphic environments. Results of rate-studies (Fig. 3) suggest that the mixed-layer phases are all transient, metastable products obtained during the transformation of the albite-Na-montmorillonite assemblage to paragonite-quartz. As such, rectorite and related mixed-layer phases on the join montmorillonite-paragonite, are always less stable relative to the assemblage Na-montmorillonite-paragonite.

Keywords

Quartz Montmorillonite Kaolinite Rate Study Mineral Assemblage 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1973

Authors and Affiliations

  • Niranjan D. Chatterjee
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute of MineralogyRuhr UniversityBochumGermany

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