Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The mineral and chemical components, the petrography, and the ceramic properties of the Weir-Pittsburg, Tebo, and Mineral underclays In Barton, Vernon, St. Clair, sod Henry Counties of western Missouri have bean Investigated by x-ray diffraction, differential thermal, spectrographic, microscopic, and certain ceramic testing techniques. The underclays are composed principally of little, kaolinite, end mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite. Illite is the dominant mineral. The principal non-phyllosilicate minerals are quarts sad pyrite. The under clays are mineralogically similar to the underlying shales and contain clay pallets which also are mineralogically similar to the underclays and shales in which they are found. The clay appears to have been derived from the shale or both were derived from the same source.

Lateral and vertical variations in the mineral and elemental components of the underclays were investigated by analyzing samples taken from the top, middle, and bottom portions of each underclay at intervals along the highwalls of many coal pits. The clays vary considerably in composition, but the variation is random rather than directional. Calcium tends to be more abundant in the lower portions of the underclay and potassium in the upper part, but these trends are not striking. Certainly the underclays cannot be distinguished from one another on the basis of either their mineral or chemical composition.

The presence of pyrite and organic matter in the underclays suggests that they were formed in a paludal environment characterized by a negative Eh and a pH near 7. An attempt to correlate variations in composition of the under clays with geologic structures known to be active in Early Cabaniss time failed to reveal any dependency of clay deposition on local diastrophism.

The underclays appear to have been soils in which the coal-forming plants grew in a swamp environment. The principal clay minerals were detrital, but some of the minor constituents are diagenetic and others epigenetic.

Ceramic tests show that the underclays are suitable only for low grade ceramic ware. Their P.C.E. values range from 6 to 23, but most of the values are near the lower end of the range. Discoloration developed on firing is also a deterrent factor in high grade ware. Only very general correlations could be established between composition and ceramic properties. The presence of quartz, pyrite, soluble salts, and other constituents tends to negate the expected relationships between clay mineral content and firing characteristics”--Abstract, pages 1-3.

Advisor(s)

Grawe, Oliver R. (Oliver Rudolph), 1901-1965

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Geology

Publisher

Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy

Publication Date

1963

Pagination

xi, 186 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 178-185).

Geographic Coverage

Western Missouri

Rights

© 1963 Anthony Cornelius Tennissen, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 1473

Print OCLC #

5950584

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Geology Commons

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