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Environmental controls on clay mineralogy of an Early Jurassic mudrock (Blue Lias Formation, southern England)

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Abstract

We present a dataset including clay mineralogy, gamma-ray spectrometry, organic matter content and magnetic susceptibility of the Hettangian to lowest Sinemurian successions of Dorset and Somerset, southern UK (Blue Lias Formation, Bristol Channel and Wessex basins). In both areas, the clay assemblages comprise predominantly detrital illite, kaolinite and illite/smectite mixed layers. Clays probably originated from the erosion of the Hercynian massifs, the relative proportions of kaolinite and illite being modulated by arid–humid climatic fluctuations. The organic matter (OM) content (types II to IV) ranges up to 12% in both areas. A clear stratigraphical trend in clay mineral assemblages is apparent in Somerset, whereas in Dorset sharp contrasts between adjacent horizons and a greater dilution by carbonate mask the long-term evolution. Correlations between both areas based on similar vertical trends in clay mineral abundance support the suggestion of a hiatus within the angulata Zone of the Dorset succession. As expected, the kaolinite/illite ratio correlates with the Th/K ratio deduced from gamma-ray spectrometry. However, significant departures from the correlation occur in OM-rich intervals, suggesting that Th may be partly adsorbed on to OM particles. Surprisingly, high magnetic susceptibility correlates with abundant kaolinite, not with Fe-rich clays, indicating either that kaolinite is accompanied by a soil-inherited magnetisable phase (possibly iron oxide) or that illite-rich rocks are more strongly diluted by carbonate than are kaolinite-rich strata.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge F. Savignac and P. Récourt for assistance in Rock-Eval analyses and X-ray diffraction respectively. We thank Graham Weedon and Paul Wignall for constructive reviews, and acknowledge fruitful scientific discussion with Gideon Henderson.

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  1. Julian Bessa

    Present address: Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, P.O. Box 60, 2280 AB, Rijswijk, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, UMR 6143 CNRS, University of Rouen, 76821, Mt St Aignan Cedex, France

    Jean-François Deconinck & Nicolas Debuisser

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PR, UK

    Stephen P. Hesselbo & Julian Bessa

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, UMR PBDS CNRS, University of Lille 1, 59655, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France

    Olivier Averbuch

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, FRE 2400/FR 32 CNRS, University Pierre & Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, case 117, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France

    François Baudin

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  1. Jean-François Deconinck
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Correspondence to Jean-François Deconinck.

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Deconinck, JF., Hesselbo, S.P., Debuisser, N. et al. Environmental controls on clay mineralogy of an Early Jurassic mudrock (Blue Lias Formation, southern England). Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 92, 255–266 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-003-0318-y

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