Weathered limestone accumulations in the high Arctic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/BP/1982/29/11Keywords:
dolomite, weathering products, physiochemical features of weathered material, Bathurst IslandAbstract
On some of the dolomitic ridges of Bathurst Island of norhern Canada, rock weathering products percolate downward through the voids of shattered rock as suspensoids and emerge downslope at the surface. The weathered material accumulated as pockets of yellowish-brown silt and clay. X-ray diffraction, SEM and electron microprobe analyses show two distinct classes of material in the accumulation. One is primarily detrital dolomite whereas the other consists largely of a mixture of hydrous ferric hydrolysis precipitates plus illite, kaolinite and other clay-size minerals. Cutan-like features present in the precipitated material do not show any recognizable crystal structure even down to the 100Å size range.
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