AB ST R ACT : Hand-made bricks were manufactured from natural sediments by firing at 7008C and 8008C after which they were hydrothermally altered at 1508C in a high-pressure reactor for 1200 h. Sediments and fired pieces were studied by X-ray diffraction. The <2 mm size-fraction of fired and hydrolysed samples were also studied by X-ray diffraction and oxygen isotope analysis. The oxygen isotope composition of the samples became depleted in 18 O by alteration. Our results are consistent with a process of hydration and hydroxylation of the partially destroyed clay minerals in the fired bricks. The work is relevant to understanding the origins and alteration processes in old ceramic materials.
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