Soils Clays and
Weathering (Geology 4001/6001)
Department
of Geology
Fall
Semester 2002
Instructor: Dr. W. Crawford Elliott,
Associate Professor
Office: 331 Kell Hall Office Phone: (404) 463-9548 E-mail: wcelliott@gsu.edu
Primary
Texts: X-ray
Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals, by D.M. Moore and Robert
C. Reynolds, Jr. (2nd Edition), 1997,
Lectures: M, W, F
Objectives: The primary objective of this course is to
introduce clay minerals in terms of their atomic structures, chemical
compositions, presence in soils and rocks, and their pragmatic uses. This
course stresses understanding clay mineralogy, soils and weathering from a
petrogenetic standpoint. This course is
also intended to present the base information needed by students who wish to
pursue advanced courses in X-ray diffraction and crystallography, weathering,
soils, and clay mineralogy. In terms of
laboratory exercises, the primary objective will be to provide experience in
the separation of clay minerals from rocks/soils/saprolites and their
identification using X-ray diffraction.
Mechanism: This is a lecture and lab based course. The lectures are intended to introduce
various topics relevant to clays, soils and weathering. The students will find it very helpful to
attend lecture and comprehend the material presented in lecture. Most of the lecture topics will be covered in
Moore and Reynolds (M&R) and Birkeland (B). Five articles/papers (Reserve
Readings) will be read in this course.
Reserve
Grading: The grade will be a
weighted average of two one-hour exams, final exam, paper, and laboratory
grades. Each exam counts 20% of the
final grade, the final exam is cumulative and counts 25% toward the final
grade. The laboratory will count 20% of the final grade. There will be one paper
written on a clay mineral/weathering/soil topic of choice, and the grade of the
paper will comprise 15% of the final grade. GEOL 6001 students will present
their papers in the last week of the course. Students will be working in teams
on the separation and identification of the clay minerals. Each team will submit a separate report of
data gathered as a group. Each student
is responsible for the data and understanding the contents of his report. The Laboratory Grade is calculated from the
scores earned from: Lab Quiz (50%), Identification #1 (25%), and Identification
(#2).
Repeated absences from lecture or failure to perform
the laboratory analyses in a timely manner will result in a reduction of final
grade or administrative withdrawal from the course. Do not miss the exams or required laboratory
sessions. If you have a valid reason for
missing an exam or required laboratory exercise, please see me as soon as
possible to reschedule the exam and/or lab exercise. If I do not hear from the student in a
reasonable period of time (3 days) from the time of the exam or due date of the
exercise, then a zero will be awarded for that exam or exercise. Graduating students should be aware of the
possibility of being required to take an early Final Exam.
Safety: All students will be performing analyses using the
X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) housed in the Geology Department at GSU. The procedures for operating this XRD will be
adhered rigorously. Serious deviations
from these procedures or failure to attend the required safety training
sessions will be grounds for immediate withdrawal from this course. Students
must attend the GSU Radiation Safety Course and XRD Site Training before using
the XRD. See Laboratory Schedule for the time and date of the training and
radiation safety sessions. Safety glasses are required for all laboratory work
including XRD analyses. Prescription
glasses satisfy this requirement.
Available Reference Books.
The Books listed below can be found in the Clay
Laboratory (Kell 310). They remain there
for all to use. These books were
purchased as reference texts for the study of clay minerals, separations
techniques and soils and they are not to be removed from Kell 310.
Cullity, B.D.,1978,
Elements of X-ray Diffraction. [Second Edition]. Addison and
Wesley, 555p.
Minerals in the Soil
Environment,
Second Edition. [eds. J.B. Dixon, and S.B. Weed], 1989, Soil Science Society of
Structure Models.
Structure models (ball and stick) of clay minerals
(kaolinite, chlorite, illite, biotite, and smectite) are also kept in Room 310
Kell for examination and reference. These models show tetrahedral and
octahedral sheets, layers and assembly of sheets forming common clay
minerals. These models were purchased
for reference and study for this course and other Geology Department courses
discussing clay minerals. They must
remain in Kell 310 or Kell 314.
Course Schedule
This is a general plan for
this course. Deviations may be
necessary.
Date Topics Reading
8/19 Course
Introduction.
8/21 Clay
Minerals in the Rock Record. M&R
p. 14-26.
8/23 Clay
Minerals in the Rock Record. M&R
p. 14-26.
8/26 Structure
and Properties of Clay Minerals. M&R
p. 104-129.
8/28 Structure
and Properties of Clay Minerals. M&R
p. 104-129.
8/30 Structure and Properties of Clay
Minerals. M&R
p. 104-129.
9/2 Labor
Day
9/4 Clay
Mineral Chemistry, and Classification. M&R
p. 138-168.
9/6 Clay
Mineral Chemistry, and Classification. M&R
p. 138-168.
Course Schedule (Continued)
Date Topics Reading
9/9 Clay
Mineral Chemistry, and Classification. M&R
p. 138-168.
9/11 Clay
Mineral Chemistry, and Classification. M&R
p. 138-168.
9/13 Interstratification,
Illite/smectite. M&R
p. 169-182.
9/16 Interstratification,
Illite/smectite,
9/18 Geothermometry RR
#1.
9/20 Origin
of Clays. M&R p. 186-190.
9/23 Structural
Formulae, Layer Charge M&R
p. 190-192.
9/25 Formulae
and Layer Charge.
9/27 Clay-Organic
Interactions (Governing Principles). M&R
p. 128-129.
9/30 Review (lecture) Test #1 (lab
period)
10/2 Soils
Characteristics, profiles. B p. 1-24.
10/4 Soils
Characteristics, profiles. B p. 1-24.
10/7 Paleosols. B p. 24-28.
10/9 Soil
Classification B p. 29-52 (Scan).
10/11 Soil
Classification B p. 29-52 (Scan).
10/14 Physical
Weathering. B
p. 53-59.
10/16 Physical
Weathering B
p. 53-59.
10/18 Chemical
Weathering B
p. 59-84.
10/21 Chemical
Weathering B
p. 59-84
10/23 Chemical
Weathering B p. 59-84.
10/25 Products
of Weathering B
p. 85-104.
10/28 Products
of Weathering B
p. 85-104.
10/30 Soil
Formation Processes RR
#2
11/1 Soil
Formation Processes RR
#2
11/4 Soil
Formation Processes RR
#2.
11/6 Factors
of Soil Formation B p. 141-147.
11/8 Jenny’s
Equation B p. 141-147.
11/11 Review (Lecture) Test #2 (l;ab)
11/13 Effect
of Parent Material on Soils B p.
148-170.
11/15 Effect
of Parent Material on Soils B p.
148-170.
11/18 Weathering
and Soil Development through time B p.
171-178
11/20 Weathering
and Soil Development through time B p. 215-226.
11/22 Bentonites
(Glass to Clay Reactions) RR
# 3
11/25 Bentonites
and K-bentonites Notes
12/2 Kaolin
Deposits RR # 4
12/4 Toxic metals in Soils RR
# 5
12/6 Last
Class (Review)
12/9 Final
Exam. (10:15 am – 12:15pm, Room 314 Kell)
Laboratory Schedule
Date Topic
8/21 Orientation, Why X-ray Generation and Diffraction? M&R p. 1-13 (scan), p. 28 - 40.
8/28 Attend X-ray Safety Course (Kell 314). M. Belanger (GSU R.S.O.)
Diffraction,
Scattering, Bragg’s Law. M&R p. 61 - 71.
9/4 Diffraction, Scattering, Bragg’s Law,
Diffraction Demo. M&R p. 61 - 71.
Site training on Department X-ray
Diffractometer (XRD). M&R p.
42 - 59.
Assign unknown to each group, random
mount prep. M&R p.
220 - 222.
9/11 Practice running samples on XRD, Analysis of Unknown. M&R p. 42 - 59.
Identify Unknown (Handout).
9/18 Field Trip, Piedmont Soil,
9/25 Test #1 (Lecture), Present Unknowns to Class after exam.
10/2 Sand/silt separations.
10/5 Field Trip #1 (Saprolites or K-bentonites).
10/9 Clay separation and preparation of slides for XRD
(Via
centrifugation or timed settling.) M&R
p. 204-208.
10/16 X-ray Diffraction analysis of clay fraction (air dry, M&R p. 227 - 243.
Glycol,
and heated samples.)
10/23 X-ray Diffraction analysis of clay fraction (air dry, M&R p. 227 - 243.
Glycol
and heated samples.)
10/30 Saprolite petrography, SEM demonstration, Dr. Robert Simmons,
Department of Biology.
11/6 Test #2 (Lecture), Present results of clay fraction to class. Report of clay fractions due.
11/9 Field Trip (Kaolin Deposits).
11/13 Review Laboratory, Catch up.
11/20 Lab Quiz
Important Dates
September
25 Test #1 (Lab Period)
October
5 Field Trip
#1
October
11 Withdrawal
date and possibly receive a “W”.
November
6 Test # 2 (Lab Period)
November
11 Field Trip #2
December
1 Paper Due.
November
20 Laboratory Exam
December
6 Last Class
December
9 Final Exam. (