An obsolete term for clintonite.

A member of the serpentine group with textures showing packets of cylinders, scrolls, and tubes, as well as helical or spiral fibers. Chrysotile, ideally Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄, crystallizes in monoclinic symmetry (clinochrysotile) with the fiber axis parallel to X and orthorhombic symmetry with the fiber axis along X (orthochrysotile) or Y (parachrysotile). Polytype stacking for clinochrysotile is either 2M_c1 or 1M_c1, where the number of layers (e.g., 1 or 2) precedes M = monoclinic, subscript c = cylindrical, and subscript 1 is used to distinguish the form from another cylindrical polytype that would otherwise have the same symbol. The orthochrysotile polytype is 2O_c1. Cylindrical structures do not have consistent hydrogen bonding between layers that would be observed in an ideal platy structure, and thus do not conform to the standard polytypes. Fiber dimensions are variable with inner diameters near 70-80 Å and outer diameters reported at 220-270, >350, and 490 Å (the latter value involves synthetic samples). Al, Fe²⁺, and Fe³⁺ may substitute for Mg, and Fe³⁺ may substitute for Si; all substitutions are very limited, but greater than in lizardite. The differences between these substitutions in lizardite vs. chrysotile suggest that in natural systems, lizardite and chrysotile are not sensu stricto polymorphs. Chrysotile, or “white asbestos”, is the asbestosform serpentine and is mined in Russia near the Ural Mountains and in Asbestos, Quebec, Canada.

Substances that close a wound by scar formation; substances that heal (e.g., by healing clays).
Syn., cicatrize

A dioctahedral phyllosilicate where the vacancy is ordered and occurs in the octahedral site where the OH,F anions reside on adjacent corners of the octahedron (i.e., cis orientation). Alternatively, the description of the cis site is off the mirror plane (based on the idealized layer symmetry, not necessarily the structure in its entirety) of the layer.
Cf., transvacant

A naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which is generally plastic at appropriate water contents and will harden when dried or fired. Although clay usually contains phyllosilicates, it may contain other materials that impart plasticity and harden when dried or fired. Associated phases in clay may include materials that do not impart plasticity and organic matter. Different disciplines have uniquely defined the size of clay particles, and it is for this reason that “fine grained” is used in the definition rather than a precise value. However, because of these size variations from discipline to discipline, it is important that the particle size be specified in the context of the application. (Quot Guggenheim and Martin, 1995). For definitions relating to non-clay-science applications, see Jackson (1997).

Clay birefringent fabric is a petrographic feature showing the development of oriented, “bright” clay fabrics in the groundmass. These high birefringence regions under crossed polarizers are composites of many parallel clay particles that act together to produce a cohesive pattern. In sediments and soils, clay birefringent fabrics are commonly associated with bioturbation and wetting-desiccation cycles, respectively.
See fabric.

A general petrographic term for a fine-grained (clay size) material between coarser particles and pedofeatures in sediments or soils. The term groundmass in soils is analogous to matrix in sediments and sedimentary rocks.
Syn. soil plasma, pedoplasma.

Refers to phyllosilicate minerals and to minerals which impart plasticity to clay and which harden upon drying or firing. This definition expands the previous definition of Brindley and Pedro (1972) by relating clay minerals to the properties of clays. Clay minerals may be of any crystallite size so that the term “clay mineral” is consistent with the definition of “mineral”, which is unrelated to crystallite size. (Quot Guggenheim and Martin, 1995). However, the unique properties of clays are partly related to their small particle size and high surface area (Guggenheim and Martin, 1996).
Cf., clay, phyllosilicate, mineral

A nanocomposite (i.e., fine-particulate material that is heterogeneous at the nanoscale level, at less than 10^-7 meters) where one or more of the constituent fine-particulate materials are clay minerals. Other parts of the composite may be, for example, polymers, which act as the dispersant. Some clay composites are fabricated with the polymer both around the clay particle and in the interlayer between the 2:1 or 1:1 layers.
Cf., nanocomposite

In geology, slickenside is a field term for striated and polished surfaces on a fault plane, which can often indicate the direction of fault movement. A clay slickenside is where the groundmass constituents, mostly clay, have been rearranged so that the platy particulates parallel the surface. In clay science, the term “slickenside” is used also for the natural crack surfaces that are polished, but produced by swelling and shrinkage in smectite-rich soils. In soil science, clay slickensides are a diagnostic feature of Vertisols, which are clayey high shrink/swell soils. The shrink/swell action “inverts” or mixes the upper parts of the soil because organic-rich surface material falls into cracks during dry periods.