Mineralogical and geochemical signatures of clays associated with rhyodacites in the Nefza area (northern Tunisia)

Petrographic observations demonstrated that the primary minerals, particularly feldspars, biotite and mesostasis glass, were affected by hydrothermal and meteoric weathering. The mineralogical study of the neogenic products revealed a nearly monomineral smectitic phase with relatively low levels of added illite and/or kaolinite. These neoformed smectites were classified as ferroan beidellites-nontronite based on thermal and crystallochemical analyses. Chemical analysis of the major elements, trace elements and rare Earth elements (REEs) show the presence of Al, Fe and K and an enrichment of REE in the clay fraction with a greater fractionation of light rare Earth elements (LREEs) compared with that of heavy rare Earth elements (HREEs). The abundance of these elements is attributed to their mobility during chemical weathering of acidic lavas and their adsorption by clay minerals.