Thermal neutron absorption cross section and clay mineral content for Miocene Carpathian samples

A correlation between the thermal neutron absorption cross section and the clay volume for samples from the chosen geological region is discussed. A comparison of the calculated and measured absorption cross sections as a function of clay volume allows an estimate to be made on the presence of highly absorbing impurities in clays. From the example presented, it was deduced that 105 ppm of B or 25 ppm of Gd in the clay minerals in the samples tested would be sufficient to explain the difference between the experimental and calculated cross sections.