Mineral Composition of Soft Rock in Mu Us Sandy Land, China

Abstract

Minerals are the main composition of soils. Soil minerals, especially secondary minerals, determine physical and chemical properties of soils. In this study, the X-ray diffraction ray experiments were carried out to study the mineral composition of eleven different color soft rocks and sands. The study found that the soft rock in Mu Us Sandy Land is mainly composed of quartz, potassium feldspar, plagioclase, calcite, montmorillonite, illite and kaolinite. The soft rock has various color types, such as yellow, grayish white, purple, grayish green. Different color soft rocks have different mineral composition. The grayish white soft rock has the lowest secondary mineral, accounting for only 5.4%; the light brown soft rock has the highest secondary mineral, up to 59%. The sands are composed of quartz, potassium feldspar, plagioclase, calcite, hornblende, montmorillonite, illite, of which the original mineral accounted for 93.5%, and the secondary mineral accounted for 6.5%.

Response of soil structure and crop yield to soft rock in Mu Us sandy land, China

“…The minerals in the soft rock mainly contain quartz, montmorillonite, feldspar, calcite, illite, kaolinite and dolomite 35 . The main chemical components of soft rock were SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and CaO 36 . The minerals in sand are mainly quartz (SiO 2 ), and the other minerals are mainly feldspar, kaolinite, calcite and amphibole 3 .…”

Green and Low-Cost Modified Pisha Sandstone Geopolymer Gel Materials for Ecological Restoration: A Phase Review

“…The main colors are pink, purple-red, gray-white, gray-green, and yellow-green [16,[25][26][27]. The mineral composition of PS of different colors and regions is shown in Figure 2 [11,[28][29][30][31][32][33]. It can be seen that PS is mainly composed of quartz (17.10% to 88.80%), calcium montmorillonite (2.51% to 51.33%), potassium feldspar (3.70% to 23.00%), plagioclase (0.20% to 30.20%), calcite (1.00% to 52.70%), illite (0.22% to 22.00%), kaolinite (0.00% to 44.00%), etc.…”

“…The method of excitation of the activity needs to be further investigated. [11,[28][29][30][31][32][33]. Note: PS1-7 are gray-white, PS8-11 are purple-red, PS12-15 are pink, PS16-19 are yellow, PS20 is gray-green, and PS21 is gray-white and purple-red stripes.…”

“…Note: PS1-7 are gray-white, PS8-11 are purple-red, PS12-15 are pink, PS16-19 are yellow, PS20 is gray-green, and PS21 is gray-white and purple-red stripes. PS2, PS3, PS9, and PS12 are cited from the literature [11]; PS1, PS8, and PS21 are cited from the literature [28]; PS4-6, PS10, PS11, PS13, and PS16-20 are cited from the literature [29]; PS23 is cited from the literature [30]; PS7 and PS14 are cited from the literature [31]; PS15 is cited from the literature [32]; and PS22 is cited from the literature [33].…”

“…PS22 is cited from the literature [9]; PS2, PS3, PS8, and PS11 are cited from the literature [11]; PS4, PS9, and PS12 are cited from the literature [27]; PS6 and PS14 are cited from the literature [35]; PS5 and PS13 are cited from the literature [36]; PS17 is cited from the literature [30]; PS18 is cited from the literature [32]; PS1 and PS10 are cited from the literature [38]; PS19-21 are cited from the literature [34]; and PS7, PS15, and PS16 are cited from the literature [39]. [11,[28][29][30][31][32][33]. Note: PS1-7 are gray-white, PS8-11 are purple-red, PS12-15 are pink, PS16-19 are yellow, PS20 is gray-green, and PS21 is gray-white and purple-red stripes.…”