Estimation of Clay Minerals in Clay Shales by X-ray Diffraction Technique

Clay minerals were identified in the laboratory by the X-ray diffraction technique. Clay-size particles were deposited on ceramic tile using a centrifuge. This paper describes the procedure used to estimate the amount of clay minerals present from the X-ray diffraction patterns obtained for clay mineral identification. Relative abundance of clay minerals with reference to the percentage of illite present was estimated. The relative percentage of clay minerals present thus obtained was used in analysing the slaking behaviour of shales.