This dataset contains reflectance and transmission spectra of unexpanded and expanded vermiculite ore, and handpicked flakes of phlogopite, hydrobiotite, and vermiculite. These samples were collected from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, Llano, Texas; and South Africa. Spectra are identified as either reflectance or transmission in the alphanumeric file names and correlate to specpr record numbers designated in the manuscript figures in which they are shown. These transmission spectra were converted to absorbance in many of the figures. Spectra of talc, fibrous richterite amphibole, and serpentine are from well characterized samples from Feiser Mine, Ruby Mountains, Montana; Libby, Montana; and a NIOSH chrysotile standard (CH29) respectively. The talc sample is described in the U.S. Geological Survey Spectral Library (Kokaly and others, 2017). Some vermiculite samples were K-exchanged to facilitate spectral comparisons.

Data are provide for four samples of unexpanded vermiculite ore from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, and South Africa. ASCII text files listings of Mossbauer data for each sample are provided in comma-separated by value (csv) files. These files have the file naming structure sampleid_mossbauer_spectra.csv, where sampleid is a unique alphanumeric code for each sample. These samples were chosen as representative of the ores from their various mine sources, having documentation verifying that they were collected directly from their sources.

Data are provide for four samples of unexpanded vermiculite ore from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, and South Africa. ASCII text files listings of Mossbauer data for each sample are provided in comma-separated by value (csv) files. These files have the file naming structure sampleid_mossbauer_spectra.csv, where sampleid is a unique alphanumeric code for each sample. These samples were chosen as representative of the ores from their various mine sources, having documentation verifying that they were collected directly from their sources.

This dataset contains spectral parameters for absorption features found in reflectance spectra of expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provide for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. Also included are two tables listing the spectral parameters for reflectance spectra of four expanded vermiculite samples selected to represent each of the four main historical sources of vermiculite (e.g., Libby, Montana; Enoree, South Carolina; Louisa, Virginia; and Palabora, South Africa) taken at normal spectral resolution (11 to 12 nm full width half maxiumum) and finer resolution (6nm fwhm). A third table lists the spectral parameters of spectra convolved to 11 to 12nm fwhm from the original 6nm fwhm data. Spectral parameters such as band depth were calculated by dividing the reflectance value of each spectral channel in an absorption by the corresponding reflectance value of a continuum drawn between endpoints on the shoulders of the absorption. The minimum channel of the continuum-removed data is found between the continuum endpoints, and a parabola is statistically fit to it and the two channels nearest to this minimum. The reflectance of the parabola’s center wavelength is determined, and then subtracted from 1.00 to derive the band depth of the absorption. Columns M and N list the x and y values of the contaminant non-detect line whose position passes through those samples that contain only minor to trace levels of contaminants in their sink fractions or have no Scanning Electron Microscopic evidence of contaminants (e.g., talc, amphibole, or serpentine).

This dataset contains spectral parameters for absorption features found in reflectance spectra of expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provide for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. Also included are two tables listing the spectral parameters for reflectance spectra of four expanded vermiculite samples selected to represent each of the four main historical sources of vermiculite (e.g., Libby, Montana; Enoree, South Carolina; Louisa, Virginia; and Palabora, South Africa) taken at normal spectral resolution (11 to 12 nm full width half maxiumum) and finer resolution (6nm fwhm). A third table lists the spectral parameters of spectra convolved to 11 to 12nm fwhm from the original 6nm fwhm data. Spectral parameters such as band depth were calculated by dividing the reflectance value of each spectral channel in an absorption by the corresponding reflectance value of a continuum drawn between endpoints on the shoulders of the absorption. The minimum channel of the continuum-removed data is found between the continuum endpoints, and a parabola is statistically fit to it and the two channels nearest to this minimum. The reflectance of the parabola’s center wavelength is determined, and then subtracted from 1.00 to derive the band depth of the absorption. Columns M and N list the x and y values of the contaminant non-detect line whose position passes through those samples that contain only minor to trace levels of contaminants in their sink fractions or have no Scanning Electron Microscopic evidence of contaminants (e.g., talc, amphibole, or serpentine).

This dataset contains descriptions and analytical data (i.e., electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, spectral reflectance, and scanning electron microprobe analyses) for expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provided for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. Tables of electron microprobe and spectral absorption information are also included along with ascii listings of spectral reflectance for each sample. Some of these samples, particularly the ones from Libby, Montana contain bundles of elongate amphibole capable of causing asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

This dataset contains descriptions and analytical data (i.e., electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, spectral reflectance, and scanning electron microprobe analyses) for expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provided for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. Tables of electron microprobe and spectral absorption information are also included along with ascii listings of spectral reflectance for each sample. Some of these samples, particularly the ones from Libby, Montana contain bundles of elongate amphibole capable of causing asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

This folder contains descriptions and analytical data (i.e., electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, spectral reflectance, and scanning electron microprobe analyses) for unexpanded and expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provided for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. X-ray diffraction data for a limited set of the 52 expanded vermiculite samples are also given in figures included in the sample description pdf files. Quantitative XRD diffractograms are included for an ore sample from each of the four major historical vermiculite sources. Scanning Electron micrographs of the expanded vermiculite samples or their sink fractions are also presented in the sample description pdf files. Provenance diagrams based on electron probe microanalysis and reflectance spectroscopy are provided for each of the 52 expanded vermiculite samples. Some of these samples, particularly the ones from Libby, Montana contain bundles of elongate amphibole capable of causing asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

This folder contains descriptions and analytical data (i.e., electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, spectral reflectance, and scanning electron microprobe analyses) for unexpanded and expanded vermiculite samples. These data are provided for 52 samples of vermiculite attic insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; and Jiangsu, China collected from 2000 to 2016. X-ray diffraction data for a limited set of the 52 expanded vermiculite samples are also given in figures included in the sample description pdf files. Quantitative XRD diffractograms are included for an ore sample from each of the four major historical vermiculite sources. Scanning Electron micrographs of the expanded vermiculite samples or their sink fractions are also presented in the sample description pdf files. Provenance diagrams based on electron probe microanalysis and reflectance spectroscopy are provided for each of the 52 expanded vermiculite samples. Some of these samples, particularly the ones from Libby, Montana contain bundles of elongate amphibole capable of causing asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

This dataset contains results from electron microprobe analyses for expanded and unexpanded vermiculite samples. These data are provide for samples of vermiculite ore, expanded vermiculite insulation, horticultural products, aggregate, and packing materials derived from mines near Enoree, South Carolina; Libby, Montana; Louisa, Virginia; Palabora, South Africa; Jiangsu, China; and Llano, Texas. An ASCII text file of results is provided in comma-separated by value (csv) format. The file has the name “vermiculite_probe_microanalyses_data.csv”.