Relative clay minerals

Certain grades of siUca gel or selected clay minerals are often used. The buffeting material is preconditioned under the selected relative humidity and, after equihbration, installed in the case. This method of microclimate control has proven to be very efficient, not only in exhibition cases and storage spaces, but also in packing crates used for the transportation of sensitive objects. 

J) The extreme fineness of iadividual clay particles, which may be of colloidal size ia at least one dimension. Clay minerals are usually platy ia shape, and less often lathlike and tubular or scroU shaped (13). Because of this fineness clays exhibit the surface chemical properties of coUoids (qv) (14). Some clays possess relatively open crystal lattices and show internal surface colloidal effects. Other minerals and rock particles, which are not hydrous aluminosihcates but which also show colloidal dimensions and characteristics, may occur intimately intermixed with the clay minerals and play an essential role. 

Smectites are stmcturaUy similar to pyrophylUte [12269-78-2] or talc [14807-96-6], but differ by substitutions mainly in the octahedral layers. Some substitution may occur for Si in the tetrahedral layer, and by F for OH in the stmcture. Deficit charges in smectite are compensated by cations (usually Na, Ca, K) sorbed between the three-layer (two tetrahedral and one octahedral, hence 2 1) clay mineral sandwiches. These are held relatively loosely, although stoichiometricaUy, and give rise to the significant cation exchange properties of the smectite. Representative analyses of smectite minerals are given in Table 3. The deterrnination of a complete set of optical constants of the smectite group is usually not possible because the individual crystals are too small. Representative optical measurements may, however, be found in the Uterature (42,107). 

In the production of ceramic ware the shape of the ware must be retained after drying and the ware must be free from cracks and other defects. Controlled drying helps to minimize defects. In general, clays containing moderate amounts of nonclay minerals are easier to dry than those composed whoUy of clay minerals. Furthermore, clays composed of iUite, chlorite, and kaolinite are relatively easier to dry than those composed of montmorillonite. 

Primary clay is also known as residual clay, indicating that they are either the in situ residue of one type of weathered rock or the transported residue of many types of rocks most primary clay deposits occur, however, in situ, at the location where the clay particles were formed. The clay is usually quite pure and colorless or white, but very small relative amounts of minerals mixed with the clay, such as quartz and/or iron oxides, may impart to it a yellow, brown, or green color. Primary clay is also characterized by the extreme fineness of its particles, which usually measure below 2 micrometers (0.002 mm) in diameter. The more than 20 different types of primary clay minerals can be distinguished by their chemical composition, which varies widely, and by their physical properties. Primary clays that have been used for making ceramic objects are listed in Table 55. 

Surface spectroscopy offers the best opportunity to elucidate the structures of chemical species at the mineral-water interface (see Sposito, Chapter 11). The application of spectroscopic methods to probe the molecular environment of the interface is still a relatively new field. Chapters 16-19 present reviews and some recent advances in investigations of molecular structure at the mineral-water interface. A recent review of spectroscopic methods applied to soil and clay mineral systems is given in Stucki and Banwart (72). 

Ice rafting is responsible for 7% of the terrigenous input of siliclastic particles to the ocean. When the ice melts, the particles settle to the seafloor to form glacial marine deposits. These are currently forming at latitudes greater than 40°N and 50° S. Most of the glacial marine sediments are poorly sorted deposits composed of relatively unweathered materials with chlorite being the dominant clay mineral. In the North Atlantic, layers... 

While rapid burial enhances preservation, the type of sediment produced is determined by the relative particle composition of the deposit. For example, rapid burial of biogenic silicate by clay minerals helps protect the shells against dissolution, but the resulting deposit is classified as an abyssal clay, rather than a siliceous ooze, if the sediment is less than 30% by mass BSi. Thus, prediction of the sediment type likely to be found at a given location requires knowledge of the relative magnitudes of the accumulation rates of all particle types. 

In the South Pacific, the CCD is deep enough to permit the preservation of calcareous oozes except in the center of the basin, which as a result is covered by abyssal clays. The relatively rapid supply of hydrogenous sediments prevents the accumulation of calcareous oozes on the East Pacific Rise. In the North Pacific, abyssal clays dominate as this is the location where the CCD is shallowest. Aeolian transport is the source of the clay minerals that make up these deposits. 

The overall effect of the terrestrial weathering reactions has been the addition of the major ions, DSi, and alkalinity to river water and the removal of O2, and CO2 from the atmosphere. Because the major ions are present in high concentrations in crustal rocks and are relatively soluble, they have become the most abimdant solutes in seawater. Mass-wise, the annual flux of solids from river runoff (1.55 x 10 g/y) in the pre-Anthropocene was about three times greater than that of the solutes (0.42 x 10 g/y). The aeolian dust flux (0.045 X 10 g/y) to the ocean is about 30 times less than the river solids input. Although most of the riverine solids are deposited on the continental margin, their input has a significant impact on seawater chemistry because most of these particles are clay minerals that have cations adsorbed to their surfaces. Some of these cations are desorbed... 

In addition to undigested organic matter, fecal pellets also contain fragments of calcareous and siliceous hard parts and clay-sized grains of clay minerals. Fecal pellets can harbor viable bacterial and phytoplankton cells. Because of their fast sinking rates, fecal pellets reach the seafloor relatively intact. Their organic matter represents the major source of food for the benthos. 

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