An occurrence of interstratified kaolinite-smectite minerals in a red-black soil toposequence

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Abstract
Interstratified kaolinite-smectite minerals form the major part of a pedon transitional between ‘red’ kaolinitic and black smectitic soils in a soil toposequence derived from basalt in Burundi, Central Africa. These interstratified kaolinite-smectites have many X-ray, morphological and chemical features in common with ‘tabular halloysite’. Modifications to the 00l spacings of these minerals brought about by thermal and chemical treatments, however, show that they are not halloysite but consist of a mixture of ∼70% kaolinite and 30% smectite randomly interstratified. Field evidence indicates that these clays can be considered as a transient stage in the overall reaction smectite→kaolinite + iron oxides, which takes place in this landscape whenever the slope gradients give rise to better drainage conditions.