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A Study on the Characteristics and Genesis of Smectite Deposits in the Georgia Kaolin Belts

Ormsby, Christopher S
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Abstract

Deposits of smectite clay, of unknown origin, have been found in association with kaolin in the Marion Member of the Huber Formation and Buffalo Creek Formation in both Wilkinson and Washington County, Georgia. The presence of smectite within kaolin deposits in both the KT Tucker and Crutchfield mines is atypical for Coastal Plain kaolins. X-ray diffraction analysis of samples from these locations shows predominantly large, high Hinckley Index kaolinite crystals, consistent with Buffalo Creek Formation or Marion Member kaolin deposits. The most probable origin of the smectite inclusions is that the smectitic clays, or their source material, were deposited in mixed beds with the pre-existing Cretaceous age kaolin during sea level regressions or other erosional events. The irregular locations of the smectite deposits can be attributed to the mechanism of deposition as well as the numerous erosional events the occurred in the region since that deposition.

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2013-08-13
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Kaolinite, Kaolin, Smectite, Georgia, Buffalo Creek Formation
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