Clay Mineralogy of Selected Clays from the English Wealden

Abstract

X-ray analyses of selected samples from the argillaceous subdivisions of the English Wealden indicate that illite, kaolinite, and mixed-layer structures are present in variable amounts. The clay mineral assemblage is thought to reflect parent material, weathering conditions in the source area, and possibly some degrading of the illite structure by the action of active waters in the depositional environment. The specific clay minerals are tentatively correlated with the palaeogeographical framework proposed by Allen (1954). It is suggested that the kaolinite was derived mainly from the Palaeozoic uplands, and the bulk of the illite and mixed-layer structures from the marginal Jurassic lowland.