Components, rocks, soil aluminum

Silicon and aluminum oxides and hydroxides are the most abundant compounds on our earth. They exist in rock, soil, the dust we breathe, and as components or trace components in just about all we touch or consume. Over decades, they have made their appearance in a number of segments of medicine such as fibrotic diseases, tumor induction, Alzheimer s disease, and aluminum related bone diseases. Of these Alzheimer s disease is perhaps one of the most serious diseases in our society. Here a still mysterious role of "aluminum" is observed and acknowledged by many researchers. 

Smectite is the first secondary mineral to form upon rock weathering in the semi-arid to sub-humid tropics. Smectite clay retains most of the ions, notably Ca2+ and Mg2+, released from weathering primary silicates. Iron, present as Fe2+ in primary minerals, is preserved in the smectite crystal lattice as Fe3+. The smectites become unstable as weathering proceeds and basic cations and silica are removed by leaching. Fe3+-compounds however remain in the soil, lending it a reddish color aluminum is retained in kaolinite and A1-oxides. Leached soil components accumulate at poorly drained, lower terrain positions where they precipitate and form new smectitic clays that remain stable as long as the pH is above neutral. Additional circumstances for the dominance of clays are ... 

Many lakes in northeastern North America and Scandinavia have become so acidic that fish are no longer able to live in them. The low pH not only directly affects fish but also contributes to the release of potentially toxic metals, such as aluminum, from the soil. The maximum effect occurs when there is little buffering of the acid by soils or rock components. Maximum fish kills occur in early spring due to the acid shock ... 

Silicon dioxide is the main component of the crust of the earth. Combined with the oxides of magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and iron, it forms the silicate minerals in our rocks and soil. 

---