Dissolution mechanisms of silicate minerals yielded by intercomparison with glasses and radiation damage studies

The behaviour of two silicates (albite and olivine) toward aqueous dissolution has been investigated with emphasis to two aspects: (1) similarities and differences with silicate glasses; and (2) influence of ion bombardment which transforms the initially crystalline structure to a glass-like one. The occurrence on leached materials of hydrated layers enriched with metallic elements is checked by using high-energy ion beam analytical techniques. It is shown that for both amorphous and crystalline silicates, dissolution involves competing processes responsible for either hydrated-layer generation (hydration by ion exchange and/or water permeation), or its destruction (hydrolysis of siloxane bonds and detachment of silica units). At moderate temperature (⩽ 100°C), the latter processes dominate for crystalline silicates and the resulting dissolution is congruent. However, these silicates tend to behave like glasses upon ion bombardment above a critical dose. At higher temperature (> 200°C), hydration is markedly enhanced and thick altered layers are generated even on undamaged minerals such as albite and orthoclase, where alkali cations are easily exchangeable.