Mineralogical and isotopic record of diagenesis from the Opalinus Clay formation at Benken, Switzerland: Implications for the modeling of pore-water chemistry in a clay formation

Lerouge, Catherine; Grangeon, Sylvain; Claret, Francis; Gaucher, Eric; Blanc, Philippe; Guerrot, Catherine; Flehoc, Christine; Wille, Guillaume; Mazurek, Martin (2014). Mineralogical and isotopic record of diagenesis from the Opalinus Clay formation at Benken, Switzerland: Implications for the modeling of pore-water chemistry in a clay formation. Clays and clay minerals, 62(4), pp. 286-312. Clay Minerals Society 10.1346/CCMN.2014.0620404

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Argillaceous rocks are considered to be a suitable geological barrier for the long-term containment of wastes. Their efficiency at retarding contaminant migration is assessed using reactive-transport experiments and modeling, the latter requiring a sound understanding of pore-water chemistry. The building of a pore-water model, which is mandatory for laboratory experiments mimicking in situ conditions, requires a detailed knowledge of the rock mineralogy and of minerals at equilibrium with present-day pore waters. Using a combination of petrological, mineralogical, and isotopic studies, the present study focused on the reduced Opalinus Clay formation (Fm) of the Benken borehole (30 km north of Zurich) which is intended for nuclear-waste disposal in Switzerland. A diagenetic sequence is proposed, which serves as a basis for determining the minerals stable in the formation and their textural relationships. Early cementation of dominant calcite, rare dolomite, and pyrite formed by bacterial sulfate reduction, was followed by formation of iron-rich calcite, ankerite, siderite, glauconite, (Ba, Sr) sulfates, and traces of sphalerite and galena. The distribution and abundance of siderite depends heavily on the depositional environment (and consequently on the water column). Benken sediment deposition during Aalenian times corresponds to an offshore environment with the early formation of siderite concretions at the water/sediment interface at the fluctuating boundary between the suboxic iron reduction and the sulfate reduction zones. Diagenetic minerals (carbonates except dolomite, sulfates, silicates) remained stable from their formation to the present. Based on these mineralogical and geochemical data, the mineral assemblage previously used for the geochemical model of the pore waters at Mont Terri may be applied to Benken without significant changes. These further investigations demonstrate the need for detailed mineralogical and geochemical study to refine the model of pore-water chemistry in a clay formation.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences > Rock-Water Interaction
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences > Applied Rock-Water-Interaction

UniBE Contributor:

Gaucher, Eric Claude Marie, Mazurek, Martin

Subjects:

500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology

ISSN:

0009-8604

Publisher:

Clay Minerals Society

Language:

English

Submitter:

Martin Mazurek

Date Deposited:

10 Aug 2015 09:19

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:48

Publisher DOI:

10.1346/CCMN.2014.0620404

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.70712

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/70712

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