Vanadiferous nodules from the Littleham Marl near Budleigh Salterton, Devon

A collection of nodules from the Littleh~ Marl sequence near Budleigh
Salterton was submitted for investigation of their composition and
mineralogy (13 specimens, table A). Initially, three were selected for
sectioning and analysis, but preliminary results revealed such wide
variations in composition and mineralogy that a qualitative study of
the collection was followed by fuller analyses of some examples which
showed significant concentrations of elements of interest such as U,
V, Cu, Co and Ag. Techniques used included XRF, electron microprobe,
XRD, and evolved gas analysis. In this . instance, microprobe analysis
was confined to point analyses of selected mineral grains due to the
restricted time available. Detailed multi-element line scans or area
imaging using the microprobe would have been inordinately time consuming
for the comparatively large surface areas of these specimens.
Further work on this aspect might be carried out using SEM techniques.