Analytical study of the obsidian hydration process

Abstract

Depth profiling analysis of some elements in a set of naturally hydrated obsidian samples was performed by using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. We have investigated the mechanism of water penetration into obsidian and have revealed that water penetrates into the top surface layer alone. From this layer atomic hydrogen penetrates into the obsidian bulk through a still unknown mechanism; the penetration cannot be described by Fick's law with a constant diffusion coefficient.