Nature and role of natural alteration gels formed on the surface of ancient volcanic glasses (Natural analogs of waste containment glasses)

This paper provides an overview of the geochemical alteration of basaltic glass, considered for over 20 years as a suitable natural analogue for nuclear borosilicate glasses. The available data show that natural basaltic glasses may survive for million of years under subsurface conditions. Mineralog...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Nuclear Materials 2003-09, Vol.321 (1), p.91-109
Main Authors: Crovisier, Jean-Louis, Advocat, Thierry, Dussossoy, Jean-Luc
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crystalline rocks
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Exact sciences and technology
Experimental petrology
Pollution, environment geology
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Summary:This paper provides an overview of the geochemical alteration of basaltic glass, considered for over 20 years as a suitable natural analogue for nuclear borosilicate glasses. The available data show that natural basaltic glasses may survive for million of years under subsurface conditions. Mineralogical studies show that an alteration layer called palagonite forms on the surface of the basaltic in response to the chemical attack by water. Under some environmental conditions, the alteration layer consists of an amorphous gel-like material, leading many authors to suspect hydration of the glass by water permeation and alkali interdiffusion. In other cases, the alteration layer is crystallized to some extent and contains clay minerals (smectite). Such layers are formed mainly on the younger natural glass samples (
ISSN:0022-3115
1873-4820
DOI:10.1016/S0022-3115(03)00206-X