It appears to be a pseudo chlorite, which may be formed from vermiculite/smectite through hydroxy-interlayering of Al oxides in acidic soil environment

Sehr geehrter Herr Münch,

it is difficult to really describe your clay mineral based upon the XRD graphs alone. I suggest to enrich the various size fractions so as to get a proper diagram and check each size fraction using XRD and IR spectroscopy and CEC treatments.

As far as the comment of Dr. Pal is concerned; as a mineralogist I see some problems with the so-called "pseudo chlorite" which I consider as a mixture of clay minerals rather than a chlorite type of its own. There are three known types of chlorite you can identify

1. chlorites sensu stricto

2. swelling chlorites

3. chlorite mixed layers with different clay minerals.

The side-by-side of smectite and vermiculite in a acidic regime is hard to model in a physico-chemical way.

Mit herzlichem Glückauf !

H.G.Dill

Mr. Dill, Mr Pal,

I really appreciate both your answers. If I find out something new, I will keep you updated.

Thank you very much!

Regards und beste Grüße

N. Münch

I think, this is the vermiculite or high ordered illite-smectite. Try to do small angle area of 2-3 degree. With best wishes

Dear Doriana Vinci and Anatoly Viktorovich Mozherovsk(y)(ii) ,

Do you have an idea on what that coming and going of the "bridge" between the two visible peaks could imply ?

Best regards

Niclas Münch

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I do not understand why to poking around in the fog and speculating on uncertain peaks. Try and enrich the material so as to get a finer or different diagram and in case of doubtful results switch to a different method. I am currently faced with the same problem but related to a different clay mineral and I have to resign into the fact that XRD does not yield unequivocal data for a precise determination. So there is only one option try a different method.

That´s geoscience.

H.G.Dill