We describe a method which effectively and gently disaggregates muds and mudstones by combining a saturation‐freeze‐thaw technique with treatment by ultrasonic probe. The method works well for samples containing <5% TOC and which have been buried to depths less than about 3500 m. It does not work for samples strongly cemented with carbonates or silicates. Scanning electron micrographs of size fractions and the strong mineralogical segregation between size fractions are offered as evidence of complete disaggregation.
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Yang et al. (1997) studied this question.