how to determine that thickness of smectite group clay minerals ? i want to measure that relate to such as saponite and montmorillinite in hydrothermal condition; around ammonium rich sediments .
and then if when i regard to absorption of ammonium rate into such minerals, is it need to consider relationship with expansibility and thickness. ; just i think that it is important to water/ soild ratio, but i don't know that how to approach! .
Sounds like you need to use XRD to measure changes in layer spacings due to the presence of different molecules between the layers of smectites, and perhaps analysis of line profiles to determine changes in scattering domain sizes, though its a little hard to understand your question.
I found difficulties to understand what exactly you want. You can compute the percentage of clay type based on geochemical results.
you mean that first confirm the clay type by quantitative alalysis (EPMA or XRF?), then is it estimate each peak by XRD analysis? of course i did found atomic distance(13~16 angstrom unit) at each peaks of smectite group by XRD software(MacDiff; petschick 2000), however, maybe it different between atomic distance and thickness in clay fraction. they have expansibility such as montmorillonite or saponite etc. moreover, sampling area mostly submarine seafloor. ultimately, i want to know relationship fixed ammonium content with something factors (e.g. thickness of k-bearing smectite and/or their atomic distance? because ammonium can absorb into their interlayer space).
sorry, i'm still confused...