Clay Types Study Guide.ppt

Clay Types Study Guide Types of Colloids crystalline silicate clays (covered by this guide) non-crystalline silicate clays (p 314) Fe Al oxides (p 315, 322ff) Organic (p 315, 325) Basis for distinguishing silicate clay types Isomorphous substitution Review of clay types Distribution Weathering generalized distribution in US Basis for distinguishing crystalline silicate clays Based on numbers combinations of structural units tetrahedral and octahedral sheets planes combined ? sheets combined ? layers ? crystals (fig 8.4) Two general categories: 1:1, 2:1 2:1 types: expanding nonexpanding also “2:1:1” ? Chlorites Number of cations in octahedral sheet tri- vs. di-octahedra (fig 8.5) Size and location of layer charge (see also lecture 16 slides) Type of bonding between layers (see also lecture 16 slides): Strong: ionic H-bonding van der Waals :Weak Absence or presence of a cation interlayer fine-grained micas See lecture 16 slides: review of diff’s in properties of clay types Clay minerals Isomorphous substitution The replacement of one ion for another of similar size within the crystalline structure of the clay Often results in change in net charge takes eons – doesn’t change rapidly Substitution in tetrahedral sheet Substitution in octahedral sheet 1:1 Silicate Clays Layers composed of one tetrahedral sheet bound to one octahedral sheet Kaolinite: one of the most widespread clay minerals in soils; most abundant in warm moist climates Stable at low pH, the most weathered of the silicate clays Synthesized under equal concentrations of Al3+ and Si4+ Kaolinite A 1:1 clay Little or no isomorphous substitution “nutrient poor” No shrink-swell (stable ‘cuz of H-bonding between adjacent layers) A product of acid weathering (low pH, common in soils of the SE USA Structure of Kaolinite Kaolinite under low pH 2:1 Silicate Clays Two silica tetrahedral sheets linked to one aluminum octahedral sheet Three key groups: Smectites (e.g., montmorillonite) Vermiculites