Clay Mineral | Definition, Structure, Composition, Uses, Types ...

General considerations

The term clay is generally applied to (1) a natural material with plastic properties, (2) particles of very fine size, customarily those defined as particles smaller than two micrometres (7.9 × 10−5 inch), and (3) very fine mineral fragments or particles composed mostly of hydrous-layer silicates of aluminum, though occasionally containing magnesium and iron. Although, in a broader sense, clay minerals can include virtually any mineral of the above-cited particle size, the definition adapted here is restricted to represent hydrous-layer silicates and some related short-range ordered aluminosilicates, both of which occur either exclusively or frequently in very fine-size grades.

The development of X-ray diffraction techniques in the 1920s and the subsequent improvement of microscopic and thermal procedures enabled investigators to establish that clays are composed of a few groups of crystalline minerals. The introduction of electron microscopic methods proved very useful in determining the characteristic shape and size of clay minerals. More recent analytical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, neutron diffraction analysis, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy have helped advance scientific knowledge of the crystal chemistry of these minerals.

Clay minerals are composed essentially of silica, alumina or magnesia or both, and water, but iron substitutes for aluminum and magnesium in varying degrees, and appreciable quantities of potassium, sodium, and calcium are frequently present as well. Some clay minerals may be expressed using ideal chemical formulas as the following: 2SiO2·Al2O3·2H2O (kaolinite), 4SiO2·Al2O3·H2O (pyrophyllite), 4SiO2·3MgO·H2O (talc), and 3SiO2·Al2O3·5FeO·4H2O (chamosite). The SiO2 ratio in a formula is the key factor determining clay mineral types. These minerals can be classified on the basis of variations of chemical composition and atomic structure into nine groups: (1) kaolin-serpentine (kaolinite, halloysite, lizardite, chrysotile), (2) pyrophyllite-talc, (3) mica (illite, glauconite, celadonite), (4) vermiculite, (5) smectite (montmorillonite, nontronite, saponite), (6) chlorite (sudoite, clinochlore, chamosite), (7) sepiolite-palygorskite, (8) interstratified clay minerals (e.g., rectorite, corrensite, tosudite), and (9) allophane-imogolite. Information and structural diagrams for these groups are given below.

Kaolinite is derived from the commonly used name kaolin, which is a corruption of the Chinese Gaoling (Pinyin; Wade-Giles romanization Kao-ling), meaning “high ridge,” the name of a hill near Jingdezhen where the occurrence of the mineral is known as early as the 2nd century bce. Montmorillonite and nontronite are named after the localities Montmorillon and Nontron, respectively, in France, where these minerals were first reported. Celadonite is from the French céladon (meaning grayish yellow-green) in allusion to its colour. Because sepiolite is a light and porous material, its name is based on the Greek word for cuttlefish, the bone of which is similar in nature. The name saponite is derived from the Latin sapon (meaning soap), because of its appearance and cleaning ability. Vermiculite is from the Latin vermiculari (“to breed worms”), because of its physical characteristic of exfoliation upon heating, which causes the mineral to exhibit a spectacular volume change from small grains to long wormlike threads. Baileychlore, brindleyite, corrensite, sudoite, and tosudite are examples of clay minerals that were named after distinguished clay mineralogists—Sturges W. Bailey, George W. Brindley, Carl W. Correns, and Toshio Sudō, respectively.

Britannica Quiz (Bed) Rocks and (Flint) Stones Ralph E. Grim Hideomi Kodama