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Characteristics and Formation Pathways of Iron- and Magnesium-Silicate-Hydrates and Smectites Under Natural Alkaline Conditions

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Understanding the behavior of secondary minerals under alkaline conditions is important for predicting the potential alteration of the constituent minerals in radioactive-waste disposal facilities. A previous study reported the formation of uncommon Fe- and Mg-bearing clays under natural alkaline conditions in the Philippines; these were referred to as iron-magnesium-silicate-hydrates (F-M-S-H) and nontronite-like minerals. The current study aimed to investigate the structural and chemical characteristics and to understand the formation pathways of these clays by performing a detailed characterization. F-M-S-H comprised tetrahedral–octahedral–tetrahedral (TOT) layers, imperfect interlayer hydroxide sheets, and interlayer Ca ions. The systematic changes in the characteristics of F-M-S-H at different sampling depths, such as the gradual decrease of the interlayer hydroxide sheets to form smectitic domains, were caused by the differing interaction periods between each sediment at different sampling depths and alkaline seepage. Furthermore, F-M-S-H was ferrous in form prior to oxidation. In contrast, a nontronite-like mineral comprised nontronite and part of an interlayer hydroxide sheet. This mineral was inferred to be formed under chemically different conditions from F-M-S-H, and probably formed in the presence of aqueous Fe3+ and Mg ions.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This study was carried out as part of the Natural Analogue project within the “Advanced technology development for geological disposal of TRU waste” program commissioned by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. The authors thank Dr Fujii Naoki from Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center for the principal management of the project. They also thank Dr Minoru Yamakawa from the Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center, Mr Masanobu Nishimura and Mr Yukinobu Kimura of the Obayashi Corporation, Dr W. Russell Alexander from Bedrock Geosciences, and Professor Carlo Arcilla at the University of the Philippines for the field survey. Dr Yasutaka Watanabe and Dr Daisuke Minato from the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry are acknowledged for their help and valuable comments for performing research at this site. The authors thank the two anonymous reviewers for considerably improving the manuscript.

Funding

This work was funded by JSPS KAKENHI (grant number JP19H00878).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology and Geotechnical Engineering Division, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko, Chiba, 270-1194, Japan

    Misato Shimbashi & Shingo Yokoyama

  2. Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan

    Misato Shimbashi

  3. Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan

    Ryosuke Kikuchi, Tsubasa Otake & Tsutomu Sato

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  1. Misato Shimbashi
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Shimbashi, M., Yokoyama, S., Kikuchi, R. et al. Characteristics and Formation Pathways of Iron- and Magnesium-Silicate-Hydrates and Smectites Under Natural Alkaline Conditions. Clays Clay Miner. 70, 492–513 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-022-00197-2

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