PERSISTENCE OF A ZEOLITE IN TUFFACEOUS SOILS OF THE TEXAS TRANS-PECOS Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Clinoptilolite, a highly siliceous zeolite, was observed in tuffaceous sediments of the Texas Trans-Pecos volcanic field. A toposequence of three soils (a Ustollic Calciorthid, a Lithic Torriorthent, and a Ustollic Haplargid) was selected to study the pedogenic fate of clinoptilolite formed in the tuff. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy were used to determine the mineralogy of soil particle-size separates. Clinoptilolite was observed in the silt; SEM revealed that most of the clinoptilolite occurred in the interiors of volanic glass-shard pseudomorphs. The shard pseudomorphs were postulated to act as a shielding mechanism protecting clinoptilolite from intensive weathering. Clinoptilolite cannot, therefore, be considered a stable mineral in this environment, although, because of its mode of formation, it is remarkably persistent. -from Authors

published proceedings

  • SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL

author list (cited authors)

  • JACOB, J. S., & ALLEN, B. L.

citation count

  • 6

complete list of authors

  • JACOB, JS||ALLEN, BL

publication date

  • January 1990

publisher