Surface properties and clay mineralogy of hydrated halloysitic soil clays. II: Evidence for the presence of halloysite/smectite (H/Sm) mixed-layer clays

Abstract Six clays from volcanic ash soils at different stages of weathering differ in their relative halloysite content with respect to kaolinite and several surface properties, namely CEC, and exchange selectivity for K+. These three parameters are related to each other in that they all decrease with increasing soil weathering stage. XRD data show that the hydrated 1:1 layer-silicates in these clays combine with smectite to form interstratified H/Sm clay minerals. In these mixed-layers, the content and layer charge of smectitic units decrease as the relative halloysite content in the clay decreases. These clays thus depict a weathering sequence that is parallel to the weathering sequence of the soils from which they originate. It is also shown that the smectites in the H/Sm minerals have the distinctive composition and ESR spectrum of Fe-rich 2:1 clay minerals belonging to the beidellite-nontronite series. The information obtained explains why these clays have high CEC and distinct affinities for K+. It is hoped that this study will help to clarify the controversy concerning the CEC and related surface properties attributed to hydrated halloysite.