Experimental mineralogy and geochemistry is revealed a powerful tool to investigate clay
mineral reactivity and transformations under low temperature conditions. Experiments can be
designed to simulate natural scenarios in order to monitor periodically the variables involved in
the process.
• Laboratory experiments can provide information on reaction mechanism, in particular on
metastable intermediate phases that can disappears in natural reactions.
• Reactions rates can be derived from detailed monitoring of the process; kinetics models can
be calibrated with natural processes.
• The magnitude of the duration of the reactions is very different in laboratory and in Earth
crust. To accelerate reactions, conditions in the laboratory may be slightly different than in
nature: higher temperature, concentrated solutions, more acid or alkaline pH, etc.
• In the laboratory, usually the reactions are under kinetic control. Temperature is increased to
allow reactions to attained equilibrium.