Characterization and behaviour of argillaceous rocks

In the present paper the main activities concerning characterization and behaviour of argillaceous rocks and their environment are presented. In Italy large argillaceous basins have been characterized on the basis of sedimentological, petrological, mineralogical and geochemical data. Site specific approaches in Belgium and the United Kingdom on argillaceous formations underlying nuclear sites, have yielded hydrogeological and geological characteristics. This was enabled by deep reconnaissance and sampling at these sites (e. g. underground experimental facility at Mol). In all these countries fundamental and methodological issues related to the characterization of argillaceous media have been investigated: e. g. heat transfer, bore-hole sealing gamma - irradiation, pore water chemistry, geomechanical characteristics, rheology of clay.