Celadonite layer charge

Since this review was originally completed, Foster (1969) published a review in which similar conclusions are drawn about the glauconites and celadonites. The lack of correlation between iron and potassium content in glauconite is substantiated in her paper. Foster considered the process of glauconitization to be of two separate, unrelated processes, incorporation of iron into the crystal structure and fixation of potassium in interlayer positions, with incorporation of iron and development of negative layer charge preceding complete fixation of potassium . 

Present data indicate that Fe3+-rich low-charge clays increase their layer charge by increasing the Mg and Fe2+ content of the octahedral sheet at the expense of Fe3 + more so than of Al. The average Al content of glauconite and celadonite is similar to that of nontronite, but the Fe3+ values are lower. With increased octahedral charge there is an increase anion-anion repulsion and the octahedral sheet increases relatively more in the c direction than the 6 direction, which also favors the large cations. Thus, relatively less tetrahedral Al is required to afford the sheet size differential to allow sufficient tetrahedral rotation to lock the K into place. 

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