Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Abbotsford Formation

McMillan, S. G. (Simon Gregory)

General Statement
This thesis seeks to produce basic mineralogical and geochemical information on the Abbotsford Formation, a formation which is clearly very important within the Dunedin District with respect to engineering problems, and one which comprises a conspicuous volume and lateral extent within the Dunedin and East Otago sedimentary sequence.
Data on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the Abbotsford Formation is limited, mainly because of the difficulty of analyzing fine grained clay rich sediments. In this thesis several techniques have been utilised in an attempt to identify and quantify mineral phases present. X-ray Diffraction has been used primarily for the identification of clay minerals although the technique also produces some information on the proportion of clay minerals present. X-ray Fluorescence analysis provides bulk chemical analysis of the Abbotsford Formation while other chemical techniques provide additional data; such as the quantities of organic carbon and carbonate carbon. Electron Microprobe analysis provides data on the composition of individual mineral phases and Methylene Blue dye titrations give some quantitative idea of the Montmorillonite content.

200 p. : col. ill., maps ; 30 cm.

1983McMillan