Quick
Search: 		  
advanced search
 GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help 
American Mineralogist house ad
JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
American Mineralogist; August 2006; v. 91; no. 8-9; p. 1448-1451; DOI: 10.2138/am.2006.2299
© 2006 Mineralogical Society of America
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sanchez, M. S.
Right arrow Articles by Gunter, M. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation

Letter

Quantification of amphibole content in expanded vermiculite products from Libby, Montana U.S.A. using powder X-ray diffraction

Matthew S. Sanchez and Mickey E. Gunter*

Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3022, U.S.A.

Correspondence: * E-mail: mgunter{at}uidaho.edu

Five expanded vermiculite samples known to have originated from the former vermiculite mine near Libby, Montana were analyzed using powder XRD to quantify their amphibole content. An expanded vermiculite with no detectable amphibole based on our XRD methods discussed herein was spiked with 100, 500, 1000, 2500, 5000, 7500, and 10 000 ppm Libby amphiboles to determine the detection limit of XRD and to develop a calibration method. The 110 amphibole peaks were not detectable in the 100 and 500 ppm samples; thus, defining the detection limit. The 110 peak areas for the remaining samples were measured and used to form a calibration curve relating peak area to ppm amphibole. Of the five Libby samples, each had detectable levels of amphibole and their amphibole content ranged from 1171 to 9218 ppm. The XRD method provides a bulk measurement of the total amphibole content. To determine the amount of asbestiform amphiboles, morphological considerations obtained by microscopy techniques are required. From the results of a previous polarized light microscopy study, the five expanded vermiculites in this study would contain from 390 to 3073 ppm asbestiform amphiboles and not be subject to regulation on the basis of the 1% rule used by regulatory agencies in the U.S.A.

Key Words: Amphibole • asbestos • powder X-ray diffraction • vermiculite




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Eur J MineralHome page
M. E. Gunter, K. E. Harris, K. L. Bunker, R. K. Wyss, and R. J. Lee
Amphiboles between the sheets: observations of interesting morphologies by TEM and FESEM
European Journal of Mineralogy, December 1, 2008; 20(6): 1035 - 1041.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Reviews in Mineralogy and GeochemistryHome page
M. E. Gunter, E. Belluso, and A. Mottana
Amphiboles: Environmental and Health Concerns
Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, October 1, 2007; 67(1): 453 - 516.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Can MineralHome page
M. E. Gunter, M. S. Sanchez, and T. J. Williams
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHRYSOTILE SAMPLES FOR THE PRESENCE OF AMPHIBOLES: THE CAREY CANADIAN DEPOSIT, SOUTHEASTERN QUEBEC, CANADA
Can Mineral, April 1, 2007; 45(2): 263 - 280.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by Mineralogical Society of America