The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy technique was applied to test Fe-Mn nodules and Fe-Mn cutans derived from two typical profiles of Quaternary red clay in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, China. The FTIR spectra and absorption peak characteristics of Fe-Mn nodules and Fe-Mn cutans were analyzed, and their commonalities and differences were discussed. The main mineral components of Fe-Mn nodules and Fe-Mn cutans were Fe-Mn oxides, silicates, and crystalline water, including SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MnO₂, and H₂O. There was no significant difference between Fe-Mn nodules and Fe-Mn cutans in the line shape of the FTIR spectrum curve, and there was only a small shift of absorption peaks. The absorbance value of Fe-Mn cutans was higher than that of Fe-Mn nodules. This indicates that the response properties of the Fe-Mn cutans and the Fe-Mn nodules to the spectra were different because of the differences in composition or structure, suggesting that although the main components of above two were similar, the main mineral contents were different. In the range of the H₂O stretching-vibration absorption band, the line shape of the absorption band of Fe-Mn cutans was wider and flatter than that of Fe-Mn nodules, indicating that the liquid water content of Fe-Mn cutans was higher than that of Fe-Mn nodules. These findings lay the foundation for further exploration of the environmental importance of Fe-Mn nodules in Quaternary red clay.

FTIR spectral characteristics of Fe-Mn nodules derived from Quaternary red clay. Revista de la Facultad de Agronomia de la Universidad del Zulia, 2019, 36(5): 1608-1616.

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