Mixed-Layer Illite-Smectite in Pennsylvanian-Aged Paleosols: Assessing Sources of Illitization in the Illinois Basin

Abstract

Mixed-layer illite-smectite (I-S) from a new set of Pennsylvanian-aged Illinois Basin underclays, identified as paleosols, are investigated to assess the impact of (1) regional diagenesis across the basin and (2) the extent to which ancient environments promoted illitization during episodes of soil formation. Interpretations from Reichweite Ordering and Δ° 2θ metrics applied to X-ray diffraction patterns suggest that most I-S in Illinois Basin paleosols are likely the product of burial diagenetic processes and not ancient soil formation processes. Acid leaching from abundant coal units and hydrothermal brines are likely diagenetic mechanisms that may have impacted I-S in Pennsylvanian paleosols. These findings also suggest that shallowly buried basins (<3 km) such as the Illinois Basin may still promote clay mineral alteration through illitization pathways if maximum burial occurred in the deep past and remained within the diagenetic window for extended periods of time. More importantly, since many pedogenic clay minerals may have been geochemically reset during illitization, sources of diagenetic alteration in the Illinois Basin should be better understood if Pennsylvanian paleosol minerals are to be utilized for paleoclimate reconstructions.