SECT. 3] 



CLAY-MINERAL DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN 



737 



decreasing in intensity with concomitant increase in intensity and resolution of 

 the ilHte and chlorite peaks would lead one to believe that the 17 A material 

 was transforming to a well crystallized illite and chlorite. Undoubtedly this is 

 one of the factors that is influencing the clay-mineral distribution pattern in the 



3.3 a 3.5 & 



4,7a 5& 



1 I 



7I& 10 S I7& 



CK22 

 ZS'aa'N 168*53 W 



' V\**Vyy^/W 



MP 40-1 

 16° N 178° E 



H7I 

 2I°58'N I5I°I9'E 



^ ^Av-ww^-^-vVv-M-"^' 



H29 

 20°N 124° E 



25° 



20° 



10° 



5° 20 



Fig. 7. X-ray diffraction tracings of the ethylene-glycol-treated ( < 2^) clay fraction in the 

 surface sediments in a traverse across the North Pacific Ocean. 



North Pacific. However, a closer look at the data will show that the sediment 

 along the coast of Canada, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands is high in chlorite 

 and iUite and deficient in montmorillonite. Transport of these sediments to 

 mid-oceanic areas would also tend to give the observed increase of ilhte and 

 chlorite with increasing distance from land. Furthermore, the fall-out of air- 

 borne material from continental areas as postulated by Rex and Goldberg 

 (1958) no doubt becomes important in the sediments of the mid-oceanic areas. 



