Static breakage of granitic detritus by ice and water in comparison with breakage by flowing water

Temperature cycling between ?4·5±1·0°C and 13·0±2·0°C in the presence of added water caused significant breakage of granitic detritus. Because cycling with only adsorbed water present also caused breakage, fragmentation is attributed to both the combined action of ice and adsorbed water and to the latter acting alone. Breakage evidently resulted from the gradual tensile opening of pre-existing cracks, weakening then splitting grains. Surviving unbroken grains show evidence of a fatigue effect. Quartz split dominantly along pre-existing subplanar microfractures whereas feldspar and biotite split along crystal cleavages. Degree of breakage and product size distribution depend on the crystalline nature of the parent material, its previous history, and the nature and duration of the breakage process. With the first two factors the same, size distributions from adsorbed water breakage alone and from that due to adsorbed water plus ice differ slightly. Both contrast strongly with those of simulated fluviatile breakage. Whereas the latter preferentially produced 2–20 μm particles (probably debris of inter-particle collisions), static breakage split coarser grains wherever major weaknesses occurred, producing less selective product size distributions with greater proportions of loess-sized material (about 20--60 μ). Characteristic inflections in the size distribution curves of our experimentally produced debris are also shown by samples from the sola of some frost-affected soils. Partially healed microfractures in plutonic quartz are normally spaced at about 1–10 μ—approaching the downward asymptotic comminution limit for brittle solids (about 1 μ). Surficial physical processes are capable of reducing only a small proportion of plutonic quartz to this size before its storage in sediments.     

Beitrag zur feinstmahlung von industriemineralen

Industrial minerals of a high degree of fineness such as kaolinite, calcite and barite are used to an increasing extent in the chemical industries as filling material in the manu-facturing of paper, paints and plastics or as ingredients of ceramic products. Grains smaller than 5 μm can be produced by dry grinding in a jet mill or by wet grinding in drum mills. To avoid impurities due to wear, these mills are lined with rubber or plastic and ceramic balls are used as grinding bodies.Our investigations in a jet mill show that the fineness of the ground product depends on the feed rate and on the air volume. The grain sizes received in the drum mill are influenced by feed rate, pulp density, speed of rotation and by the grinding bodies (density, size).REM-photographs of mill discharge in the grain-size ranges 10-5 μm and below 5 μm indicate that in both the grains mainly show crystal planes as boundaries. After dry grinding the grains show smooth and clean faces; thus is traced back to the impact effect of the air streams. In wet grinding the fine grains are very prone to form agglomerates.     

Index test for the degradation potential of carbonate sands during hydraulic transportation

Carbonate sands undergo degradation when transported hydraulically from a dredging vessel to the reclamation site. Risks involved in the production of fines during hydraulic transport are a deterioration of the mechanical properties of the fill in certain areas of the reclamation area where these fines concentrate. In order to assess sand degradation in the concrete and road construction industry, the Micro-Deval test for fine aggregates was developed in France and Canada. During Micro-Deval testing, aggregates degrade when tumbled in a rotating steel drum with water and steel balls. In the Canadian standard, the steel charge is lower than in the French standard and balls have the diameter of the smallest balls used in the French test. During testing, the quantity of fines produced is measured. This makes the Micro-Deval test an option for assessing the degradation of sand during hydraulic transportation of slurries in the dredging industry. Three sands are tested: two shelly carbonate sands and one quartzic river sand for comparison. The carbonate sands were sampled on reclaimed land and had been subjected to hydraulic transportation in pipeline before artificial deposition. Due to differences in particle shape, the carbonate sands and the quartz sand have a different number of contacts with the steel charge in the drum of the Micro-Deval and are not exposed to the same degradation forces during testing. It was found that the quartzic sand suffers relatively much degradation as compared to the carbonate sands, despite its greater hardness and resistance to crushability. The French test appears to create turbulence that promotes floatation of the curved shells of the carbonate sands instead of shell grinding at the bottom of the drum by contact with the steel balls. Microscopic observations of sand samples before and after testing showed that the French Micro-Deval test is too destructive. The test leads to the fragmentation by impact of the quartz sands and the destruction of certain particle types that had survived hydraulic transportation. With respect to the Canadian test, microscopic examination of sand grains before and after testing shows there is still much fragmentation of quartz grains. A lower rotational speed combined with a limited steel charge made of uniform balls of a smaller diameter, reduces turbulence, shell floatability and last but not the least, impact forces. It produces the desired result: a high Micro-Deval loss for the carbonate sands in comparison to that for the quartz sands and a very limited fragmentation of the quartz grains. Once the slurry reaches its destination, the grain size distribution of the fines fraction will influence the mechanical behaviour of mixed sands. A procedure is proposed to measure the particle size distribution of the fines fraction produced during Micro-Deval testing.Field validation is needed to validate preliminary laboratory results.     

南京周家山下蜀黄土石英颗粒特征及其物源意义

下蜀黄土的成因和物源一直是学术界研究的热点。对南京周家山下蜀黄土的石英粒度和石英表面微结构进行分析,结果显示:粉砂粒级石英颗粒（5~50 μm）占绝对优势;<20 μm组分平均含量为42.76%,<30 μm组分平均含量为62.98%;粒度分布曲线和累积曲线总体具有颗粒偏细,呈正偏态,分选较差,峰形尖锐,双峰曲线不对称的特征;粒级-标准偏差曲线呈“双峰”分布,两个明显的标准偏差峰值分别出现在7.962 1 μm和39.905 2 μm。石英颗粒表面形态主要以次棱角状为主;表面机械结构具有丰富的蝶形坑、曲脊、贝壳状断口,部分表面出现平行节理面、V形坑;不同粒级组分表面形态和机械结构特征存在差异。分析表明,南京周家山下蜀黄土属典型风成成因堆积物,是多源区物质高度混合搬运堆积的结果。     

Textures of syntaxial quartz veins synthesized by hydrothermal experiments

Syntaxial quartz veins were synthesized by hydrothermal flow-through experiments using rock blocks (metachert, sandstone, and granite) containing slits. Based on analyses of vein textures using birefringence imaging microscopy, we identified two stages of crystal growth. During stage 1, quartz grain growth occurs without an increase in grain width. During stage 2, quartz grains develop facets and grow preferentially parallel to the c-axis orientation, and the aspect ratio of quartz grains shifts toward ～2.9. Competitive growth occurs significantly at stage 2, and the transition from stage 1–2 occurs at a critical distance from the vein wall, being approximately equal to the host-rock grain size. Crystal growth in the slits produce various textures controlled by the ratio of slit aperture (H) to host-rock grain size (d). In high H/d cracks, elongate–blocky texture develops by grain impingement during stage 2, whereas in low H/d cracks, crystals that bridge the crack form without competitive growth by grain impingement at stage 1. Heterogeneous structures of fracture porosity are produced during syntaxial vein formation, due to the anisotropy in the growth rate of quartz. Such “incompletely sealed” cracks may act as important fluid pathways and as weak planes in the upper crust.     

巴丹吉林沙漠石英δ18O值及其物源意义

巴丹吉林沙漠是世界上沙丘最高大的沙漠,其沙源研究对认识沙漠形成、高大沙山发育和防沙治沙工程有重要意义。石英是沙漠沉积物中常见的矿物,其氧同位素值可示踪物源。采集沙漠西北部、东部、东南部高大沙山、丘间低地与湖泊以及雅布赖山前的表层沉积物,测定了样品不同粒级的石英δ18O值。结果表明:①石英δ18O值随粒级减小有增大趋势,同一样品不同粒级石英δ18O值存在较大差异,相同粒级石英δ18O值也有变化。②石英δ18O值介于9.4‰~19.3‰,均值为13.3‰（n=55）;其中沙丘沙的石英δ18O值介于9.5‰~16.6‰,均值为12.9 ‰（n=39）;湖相沉积物的石英δ18O值介于9.4‰~19.3‰,均值为14.2‰（n=16）。③区域内,<16 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与16~64 μm、125~154 μm、200~250 μm、> 300 μm粒级的石英δ18O值都存在显著差异,但200~250 μm与 > 300 μm粒级的石英δ18O值没有显著差异;经区域对比,巴丹吉林沙漠 < 16 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与柴达木盆地沙漠、蒙古戈壁风成沉积物 < 16 μm石英δ18O值无显著差异,但巴丹吉林沙漠16~64 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与蒙古戈壁风成沉积物16~64 μm石英δ18O值存在显著差异;这似乎暗示研究区的细颗粒物质可能是远源的。巴丹吉林沙漠沉积物的石英δ18O值位于火成岩石英、砂岩和变质岩石英δ18O值分布阈值内,受区域地质条件、物源混合、粒级效应等因素的影响,砂粒级的石英δ18O值所指示的母岩成份特征与祁连山区岩石的岩性有较好吻合。     

Shock deformation of quartz influenced by grain size and shock direction: Observations on quartz-plagioclase rocks from the basement of the Ries Crater,Germany

Planar elements in quartz, produced by shock induced plastic deformation, have been investigated in four quartz-plagioclase veins contained in an amphibolite from the crystalline basement of the Ries Crater from the drill hole Nördlingen 1973.The crystallographic orientation of planar elements in quartz grains is similar in all four rocks ({10¯13} predominant, {0001} less frequent, {10¯12} and others still rarer), indicating an average shock pressure in the range between 150 and 200 kbar.The spatial density of planar elements as measured by the number of systems per shocked grain, the number of individual elements per shocked grain, or as ratio shocked: unshocked grains increases with increasing grain size. This grain size effect is supposed to be primarily a consequence of the heterogeneity of the stress field which produced a random distribution of local stress maxima and locally restricted areas of plastic quartz deformation in the rock. The probability that planar elements develop within one individual grain increases, therefore, with increasing grain size.In one leucosome in which the quartz grains were randomly oriented planar elements parallel to {10¯13} cluster in a stereographic projection within one belt. It is supposed that the pole of this belt indicates the direction in which the shock front passed through the rock.     

Discontinuous grain growth of quartz in metacherts: the influence of mica on a microstructural transition

Abstract The microstructure of quartz in metacherts of the Ryoke metamorphic belt in central Japan develops from polygonal, through duplex to irregular with increasing metamorphic grade. The polygonal microstructure is composed of small (mostly 90–160 μm), equant, equigranular, polygonal quartz grains, whereas the irregular microstructure is characterized by large (>300 μm) grains with irregular grain boundaries. The duplex microstructure is a mixture of small polygonal and large irregular grains. The development of these microstructures is interpreted as being due to secondary recrystallization. The size of polygonal grains is greatly influenced by the presence of second-phase minerals, such as mica, whereas that of large irregular grains is unaffected by second-phase minerals. There seems to be a critical grain size for quartz to occur as polygonal aggregates: no polygonal aggregates occur in rocks with larger than the critical grain size. The size (about 140 μm) decreases slightly with increasing volume fraction of mica. The mean grain sizes of polygonal quartz ( D ) and coexisting mica ( d ) in the duplex microstructure are systematically related to the volume fraction of mica ( f ) by D = 0.728 d (1/ f )^0.629.     

A natural example of crystal-plastic deformation enhancing the incorporation of water into quartz

Water content of quartz in and around a greenschist facies mylonitic shear zone located in the western Adirondacks was analyzed by micro-FTIR spectroscopy. The shear zone is within a pegmatitic dike, which cuts across a granitic gneiss. The thickness of the shear zone varies along strike from 15 cm wide and encompassing all of the pegmatite dike at its northern most exposure to 5 cm wide approximately 10 m south, along strike. Microstructures, including quartz ribbons and recrystallized grains, indicate quartz and feldspar within the mylonite underwent dislocation creep. Infrared spectral analysis was carried out using a Nicolet micro-FTIR on mylonitic quartz ribbons, pegmatitic quartz and gneissic quartz. A small aperture size (56 μm by 50 μm) for the IR beam allowed optically clear regions of the quartz grains to be analyzed without any contribution from grain boundaries. The smallest dimension of the quartz ribbons is 0.3 mm, whereas the pegmatitic quartz has a grain size of 3 to 5 cm. Results show mylonitic quartz ribbons contain the most water (320 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 50 to 1120 H:10⁶ Si); pegmatite quartz contains much less water (30 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 20–40 H:10⁶ Si) and the gneissic quartz contained an intermediate amount (200 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 20 to 870 H:10⁶ Si). These data indicate that water was preferentially incorporated into the deformed quartz ribbons.     

The lunar regolith: Chemistry and petrology of Luna 24 grain size fractions

Chemical data are reported for the first time for lunar soil size fractions smaller then 2 μm. We report chemical data for 30 elements by INAA in eight size fractions (370−200, 200−94, 94−74, 74−40, 40−10, 10−5, 5−2 and <2 μm) and petrology of five size fractions (down to 40−10 μm) in two Luna 24 soils, 24176 and 24214. Consistent with our previous results for lunar soils, the compositions of coarser fractions (>10 μm) are quite similar to each other but quite different from the fine fractions (<10 μm). The finer fractions (10–5, 5–2, <2 μm) become increasingly feldspathic and enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) with decreasing grain size. Chemical data for the finer fractions provide direct evidence in favor of efficient comminution of rock mesostasis and feldspar leading to their preferential incorporation into the finer fractions. High concentrations of meteoritic indicator elements (Ni, Au, Ir) in the finer fractions are consistent with the comminution process by micrometeorite impacts. The chemical data strongly support the F³ (fusion of the finest fraction) model for agglutinate formation.Based on grain size distribution, petrology, and LILE patterns of size fractions, the Luna 24 soils are less reworked than most lunar soils. The Luna 24 regolith appears to have formed as a result of mixing more mature and fine grained material with less mature coarse material in different proportions at different depth intervals.     

Comparison between grain size and multi-mineral Ar/Ar thermochronology

In the case of volume diffusion, the closure temperature of a mineral is function of, among other factors, the characteristic diffusion dimension, which can be approximated by the grain size of the mineral analysed for grains smaller than or similar in size to the diffusion domains. The theoretical possibility of single mineral grain size thermochronology had been demonstrated empirically in earlier studies, mostly using biotite. In order to examine the potential of this method, it was tested alongside the widely used multi-mineral ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar thermochronology. The sample comes from the granitic McLean pluton, in the south section of the Grenville orogeny. Seven grain size separates of biotite (ranging between 90 and 1000 μm), eight size fractions of amphibole (between 63 and 1000 μm), and three size fractions of K-feldspar (250-600 μm) were extracted and dated by the laser step-heating ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method. The total gas ages obtained behave as theoretically predicted, with increasing ages for increasing grain sizes, including for K-feldspar, but with the exception of the smallest and the largest grains for biotite and amphibole. The calculated cooling rates are ca. 0.7 °C/Ma for K-feldspar, ca. 2.5 °C/Ma for biotite, and ca. 11 °C/Ma for amphibole, corresponding very well to a monotonic cooling of the McLean pluton. A quick initial thermal re-equilibration with the cooler host-rocks is followed by a much slower cooling on a thermal path parallel to that of the Frontenac Terrain situated immediately to the southeast. The validity of the single mineral grain size thermochronology is demonstrated by comparison with the thermal evolution of the adjacent units and with the cooling history derived from a multi-mineral thermochronology, suggesting that it can be routinely used. The application of this method can be hampered by insufficiently low analytical uncertainties.     

A conceptual review of regional-scale controls on the composition of clastic sediment and the co-evolution of continental blocks and their sedimentary cover

Both sediment recycling and first-cycle input influence the composition of clastic material in sedimentary systems. This paper examines conceptually the roles played by these processes in governing the composition of clastic sediment on a regional scale by outlining the expected effects on sediment composition of protracted sediment recycling and of continuous first-cycle input on a maturing continental block. Generally speaking, long-term recycling tends to enrich sediments in the most chemically and mechanically stable components: quartz in the sand and silt size fractions, and illite among the clay minerals. Sandstones trend towards pure quartz arenites, and mudrocks become more potassic and aluminous. The average grain size of clastic sediment decreases by a combination of progressive attrition of sand grains and ongoing breakdown of primary silicate minerals to finer-grained clay minerals and oxides. Sandstones derived by continuous first-cycle input from an evolving continental crustal source also become increasingly rich in quartz, but in addition become more feldspathic as the proportion of granitic material in the upper continental crust increases during crustal stabilization. Associated mudrocks also become richer in potassium and aluminum, but will have higher K2O/Al2O3 ratios than recycled muds. The average grain size of the sediment may increase with time as the proportion of sand-prone granitic source rocks increases at the expense of more mud-prone volcanic sources. In general, except in instances where chemical weathering is extreme, first-cycle sediments lack the compositional maturity of recycled detritus, and are characterized by the presence of a variety of primary silicate minerals. Sedimentary systems are not usually completely dominated by either recycling or first-cycle detritus. Generally, however, sedimentary systems associated with the earliest phases of formation and accretion of continental crust are characterized by first-cycle input from igneous and metamorphic rocks, whereas those associated with more mature cratons tend to be dominated by recycled sedimentary material.     

An enhanced constitutive model for crushable granular materials

Studies in the past have tried to reproduce the mechanical behaviour of granular materials by proposing constitutive relations based on a common assumption that model parameters and parameters describing the properties, including gradation of individual grains are inevitably linked. However successful these models have proved to be, they cannot account for the changes in granular assembly behaviour if the grains start to break during mechanical loading. This paper proposes to analyse the relation between grading change and the mechanical behaviour of granular assembly. A way to model the influence of grain breakage is to use a critical state‐based model. The influence of the amount of grain breakage during loading, depending on the individual grain strength and size distribution, can be introduced into constitutive relations by means of a new parameter that controls the evolution of critical state with changes in grain size distribution. Experimental data from a calcareous sand, a quartz sand, and a rockfill material were compared with numerical results and good‐quality simulations were obtained. The main consequences of grain breakage are increased compressibility and a gradual dilatancy disappearance in the granular material. The critical state concept is also enriched by considering its overall relation to the evolution of the granular material. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment deposition from flocculated suspensions

Suspended sediment in coastal environments with high inorganic content have characteristic broad size distributions and are composed of both single grains and flocculated aggregates. These flocculated suspensions have stable size distributions the modal size of which is dependent on the modal size of the deflocculated single grain distributions. Comparison between theoretical settling speeds of quartz grains and the settling speed of particles in natural suspensions indicates that most grains smaller than the deflocculated single grain mode settle as part of flocs, whereas the particles larger than the mode settle as single grains. As a result the size distribution curves of sediment populations which settle out during consecutive intervals are composed of a modal peak of larger grains and a low flat portion of smaller grains and resemble the asymmetrical non-normal curves common for muddy sediments.     

Sand and silt grains: Predetermination of their formation and properties by microfractures in quartz

Examination of quartz from plutonic source rocks, sediments and soils, using both optical and scanning electron microscopes, reveals that the mineral is, almost always, cut by sets of partially healed, subplanar, subparallel microfractures dividing it into sheets typically one to a few micrometres thick. The structure, which originates in source rocks, is not due to crystal cleavage although it does show weak crystallo‐graphic influence in its directions. One to several sets of microfractures, intersecting at varying angles, can be present in any one quartz crystal. The microfractures vary in quality like cleavages; separation takes place readily along some, less so along others.

In superficial environments, the ease with which microfractures can be reopened largely controls the durability of quartz and the degree to which comminution can proceed. However, this type of breakage must cease when grains are one sheet thick (about 2–20 Mm in diameter). Hence quartz suddenly changes from being the dominant mineral in silt fractions to a normally minor constituent of clay fractions. The shape of grains depends largely on the number of (and angles between) microfrac‐ture sets present in the parent quartz. Most quartz grain surfaces represent fractures whose details characterize the pre‐emergent history of the quartz rather than sedimentary environments.     

Residual luminescence in modern debris flow deposits from western Taiwan: A single grain approach

In an active fold-and-thrust belt, sediment is commonly transported in the form of debris and colluviums, and the ages of such deposits can be important for seismic hazard assessment. These sediments are mainly transported by high concentration flows that travel very short distances before burial, and therefore have very few opportunities for daylight exposure and bleaching, which limits the application of luminescence dating in such environments. Luminescence studies on modern debris flow deposits and channel sediments in central Taiwan indicate a mixed population of bleached and unbleached grains. The well bleached grains constitute a small proportion of the sediments and could only be identified using the single grain dating technique; doing single aliquot analysis may result in overestimation of the age of such sediments by 3–25 ka. The data reveal that outwash sediments are better bleached than debris flow sediments. Our results show that quartz that has experienced partial resetting can be used for luminescence dating only through the use of the single grain technique.     

中国典型河流沉积物石英释光性质初探及其物源指示意义

石英是地球表面分布最广的矿物之一,抗风化能力较强且性质稳定,是母岩信号的最佳载体。前人研究结果表明石 英的释光（包括光释光OSL 和热释光TL） 灵敏度和母岩以及沉积过程存在一定关系,已初步被应用于沙漠沉积物的判源研 究中。河流与海域沉积物相关研究在国内研究较少,文章拟尝试对中国东部沿海三条重要河流（黄河、长江和浊水溪） 沉 积物中的石英释光性质进行分析,探讨其应用于物源判别的可能性。通过7 个粒级（<4 μm 、4~16 μm 、16~32 μm 、32~ 45 μm 、45~63 μm 、63~90 μm 、90~125 μm） 的石英释光灵敏度的对比分析发现,同一河流下游河口沉积物中不同粒级的 石英释光灵敏度差异明显,<4 μm 和>45 μm 粒级的石英110℃TL 峰和OSL 灵敏度较小,4~45 μm 粒级较强;黄河、长江 和浊水溪同粒级沉积物中石英110℃TL 峰和OSL 灵敏度均有明显差异,尤其是63 μm 以下粒级,均表现为长江最大,黄河 次之,浊水溪最小。母岩差异和流域搬运-沉积过程是影响河流沉积物石英释光灵敏度的主要因素。沉积物在长江流域内 的滞留时间长,石英在流域内的辐照-晒退循环次数增多从而使其释光灵敏度增大,同时流域内广泛分布的富含微量元素 的火成岩产出的石英晶体晶格缺陷较多,这两者导致其石英释光灵敏度较大。黄河河口沉积物中石英释光灵敏度继承了其 源区黄土高原的特征。浊水溪是山溪性短途河流,水面坡降大,沉积物可迅速被从源区搬运至河口区,石英接受辐照-晒 退循环次数少,且其源区母岩多以变质岩为主,这可能是其石英释光灵敏度偏小的原因。石英释光灵敏度随粒级的变化, 推测与石英自身发光性质以及河流中沉积物搬运方式的不同有关。泥沙入海后,石英释光灵敏度虽然存在随海域搬运-沉 积过程增大的可能性,但据上述研究来看,其增加幅度可能远小于长江、黄河和浊水溪河流间石英释光灵敏度的差值,因 此可尝试利用细粒级（4~45 μm） 石英释光灵敏度为指标进行黄、东海陆架物源追踪探索。     

Surmounting luminescence age overestimation in Alaska-margin Arctic Ocean sediments by use of ‘micro-hole’ quartz dating

Because of several difficulties with the application of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating to Arctic Ocean sediments, numeric dating techniques are needed that can complement, supplant and reach beyond the ¹⁴C method. However, large age overestimates (often >7 kyr) for near-sediment-water-interface horizons from Arctic Ocean cores have been almost universal when luminescence dating has been applied to multigrain aliquots of fine silt (4–11 μm) quartz and feldspar grains. Here micro-hole quartz-grain photon-stimulated-luminescence (PSL) dating is applied to the 0.5–2.0 cm horizons of multicores from high-sedimentation-rate sites spanning depths from 87 m to 1140 m at the Alaska margin of the Arctic Ocean. Expected near zero ages (0–200 a) result when grains larger than ～11 μm are used, demonstrating that fine-silt age overestimations here and perhaps elsewhere in the Arctic Ocean are a function of grain and aliquot size. At the 87 m site, the micro-hole PSL approach revealed no significant gradient in age estimates over the 1–26 cm horizon range, implying that bioturbation reached to at least 26 cm. Micro-hole PSL dating of 25–62 μm quartz grains from trans-ocean sea-ice sediment also produced expected near zero ages, in contrast to earlier reported long-bleach multigrain PSL results from 4–11 μm fractions of the same samples. The micro-hole PSL approach thus surmounts the age overestimation problem associated with the use of multigrain silt fractions, and overcomes limitations of the ¹⁴C method in this region. Finally, results unexpectedly suggest the potential of micro-hole quartz PSL for use in provenance studies of Arctic Ocean sea-ice sediment.     

Experimental investigation of silt formation by static breakage processes: the effect of temperature, moisture and salt on quartz dune sand and granitic regolith

ABSTRACT Weathering simulations carried out using a climatic cabinet have demonstrated that diurnal temperature and humidity variations typical of those occurring in warm desert environments are ineffective in causing static breakage of quartz dune sand and polymineralic regolith sand grains. Wetting and drying combined with temperature variations was also found to be a relatively ineffective weathering process. These results suggest that 'crack tip' processes are insignificant where mineral grains are not subject to static loading. Sodium sulphate weathering was found to cause slight damage to quartz dune sand grains and major damage to first cycle regolith grains. Feldspars and mica in the regolith sands were more susceptible to salt action than quartz. Salt weathering of the regolith sands produced substantial quantities of silt in the size range typically found in natural loess deposits.     

Distribution of 28 elements in size fractions of lunar mare and highlands soils

Four volatile, six siderophile and 18 generally lithophile elements were determined in six sieve fractions of mare soil 15100 and seven sieve fractions of highlands soil 66080; 15100 is a moderately and 66080 a highly mature soil.Two size fractions of 66080 were subjected to leaching with HCI and etching with HF. Leaching removed ca. 25% of the rare earths in both the 500-177 μm and 62-20 μm fractions; the soluble phase, probably a phosphate, is enriched in light rare earths relative to the bulk soil. The leach and etch removed a larger portion of Zn and Cd than expected on the basis of surface concentrations inferred from size distribution data apparently because of selective dissolution of minor volatile-rich phases.Lithophile concentrations in 66080 are nearly independent of grain size. In 15100 decreasing grain sizes show moderately increasing amounts of KREEP and anorthosite related elements, and decreasing amounts of basalt related elements. In 66080 a maximum in siderophile concentration occurs at ca 150 μm, as previously observed in our studies of 61220, 63500 and 65500. This peaking appears to result from a gradual increase with time in the size of metal grains as a result of welding during micrometeorite impacts. The coarse fraction maximum is not observed in the siderophile data for 15100, probably because of the much smaller fluence of extralunar projectiles at the Apollo 15 site. A modest rise in siderophile concentrations in the smallest size fractions of all soils probably results from recondensation of impact-vaporized materials.The concentrations of highly volatile Zn, Cd and In in 15100 and 66080 show a marked increase with decreasing size, but the fine/coarse ratios are about a factor of two lower than those in soils 61220 and 63500. The lower ratio in 66080 results entirely from higher concentrations in the coarser fractions. It appears that this is a reflection of the higher maturity of 66080, and that the volume-correlated component in lunar soils increases with increasing near-surface residency. The high amount of volume-correlated component in 15100 may be related to the more efficient formation of agglutinates in basalt-rich soils. The observed increase in rare gas and volatile metal concentration with decreasing grain size results from an increasing bias in surface exposure of fine grain sizes, probably as a result of the adhesion of smaller to larger grains.