Alteration of the Tournemire argillite (France) submitted to an alkaline plume: through-diffusion and advection experiments
Résumé
The Tournemire experimental platform of IRSN in Aveyron is based on a tunnel and several galleries. The tunnel was excavated between 1882 and 1886 through Domerian marls and Toarcian argillites. Its walls were recovered by lime that is yet in contact with the argillites. The program associated to the study of the engineered analogues provided by the Tournemire experimental platform is presented in another paper. In parallel, lab experiments (diffusion and advection) are performed in smaller time (1 year) and space scale to control some parameters and complete engineered analogues results. This paper details the scientific program developed on these diffusion and advection lab samples. The diffusion study was designed to provide better understanding of the phenomena that govern diffusion processes during the transient phase between site and alkaline conditions. The advection study was designed to evaluate the influence of an advective hydraulic regime on the interaction argillite/alkaline fluid in comparison with the diffusive one. In all experiments, pH and concentrations (cations, anions) were monitored in time. Mineralogical and petrographic analyses (XRD, SEM, TEM) of the argillite cores were performed before and after the experiments for characterizing the mineral alterations and their potential role on the alkaline plume migration.