Mineralogy and diagenetic impacts on chemical composition of Paleozoic mudrocks, southwestern Sinai, Egypt

Background The present study deals with mineralogy, diagenesis, and their impact on chemical composition for early Paleozoic, Cambro-Ordovician, (Adediya and Abu Hamata formations) and late Paleozoic, early Carboniferous, (El Hashash and Magharet El Maiah) mudrocks at the southwestern Sinai area. Mineralogical study reveals the presence of kaolinite and illite clay minerals. Conclusions The detection of kaolinite and illite clay minerals favors that the environment of formation was alkaline, and the origin of the clay minerals present is chlorite more probably than illite origin where illite can be derived from the weathering of chlorite. Diagenetic study reveals that kaolinite can be neo-formed, transformed at high rainfall and a temperate climate which can transform muscovite and biotite into kaolinite together with some illite. Chemical composition study, abundance, behavior, and distribution of major and trace components reveals that the studied mudrocks seem to be formed under reducing alkaline environment.