Mineralogical alteration of thermally treated siderite in air: Mossbauer spectroscopy results

Mineralogical alternation of thermally treated siderite in air atmosphere has been systematically analyzed by Mossbauer effects. It was preliminarily estimated from the area of sub-spectra that 4% , 39% and 62% of magnetite were formed at 410℃, 490℃ and 510℃ respectively. After being incrementally heated at 530℃ the spectra consist of two sextets of Fe3O4. Sextet of γ-Fe2O3 with hyperfine field of 50T was observed at 550℃. Spectra at 580℃ consistedof two sextets with hyperfine fields caused by γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3. Fe3O4 disappeared and the amount of γ-Fe2O3 decreased, while the quantity of α-Fe2O3 increased to 34% and 77% at 640℃ and 690℃, respectively. During the early stage of decomposition and oxidation, FeO was probably produced but quickly oxidized to magnetite and unidentified in our experiment. These results, in good agreement with the X-ray diffraction analyses and microscopic observation, provide an interpretation to anomalous magnetic property changes of siderite-bearing rock samples.