Study of the electrical conductivity of glauconites as a function of temperature

The analysis of data on the temperature dependence of the electrical conduc tivity sigma of glauconites of sedimentary origin in a 100-1000 degrees C i nterval showed that the behavior of sigma depends on thermal processes invo lving dehydration stages, oxidation of ferrous iron, and the release of hyd rogen, argon, and nitrogen from minerals at 200, 300, and 500 degrees C. In the case of Fe-rich glauconites, the dependences logo = f(1/T) exhibit a k ink near 500 degrees C, and the experimentally determined activation energy values of the conductivity E-0 increase, which is attributable to the remo val of protons from the structure of the mineral and to the increasing char ge of octahedral layers during oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+. In Al-rich glauco nites, the sequence of the anomalous conductivity regions depends on the cr ystallization degree of mineral grains. This work demonstrated that the stu dy of electrical properties can significantly extend the possibilities of g lauconite as an indicator of lateral variations in the sedimentation enviro nment.