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Gay Head Cliffs in Martha's Vineyard consist almost entirely of clay. A Quaternary clay deposit in Estonia, laid down about 400,000 years ago. Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals [1] (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, Al 2 Si 2 O 5 4).
The type of clay that is formed is a function of the parent material and the composition of the minerals in solution. [13] Clay minerals continue to be formed as long as the soil exists. [14] Mica-based clays result from a modification of the primary mica mineral in such a way that it behaves and is classed as a clay. [15]
Soil texture is determined by the relative proportion of the three kinds of soil mineral particles, called soil separates: sand, silt, and clay. At the next larger scale, soil structures called peds or more commonly soil aggregates are created from the soil separates when iron oxides, carbonates, clay, silica and humus, coat particles and cause ...
Lamella clay-sandy soil. The dominant material is the montmorillonite clay material which has a high swell and shrinks characteristics depending on the soil water content. In the dry season, evaporation moves water from the deep horizon toward the soil surface through capillary action.
A study showed increased soil fertility following the addition of mature compost to a clay soil. [171] High soil tannin content can cause nitrogen to be sequestered as resistant tannin-protein complexes. [172] [173] Humus formation is a process dependent on the amount of plant material added each year and the type of base soil.
Soil texture is the analysis and classification of the particle size distribution in soil. The relative amounts of sand, silt, and clay particles determine a soil's texture, which affects the appearance, feel and chemical properties of the soil. [12] Soil texture-by-feel method
Other earth materials include soil blocks typically stabilized with a cement additive and produced with forms or compression. Rammed Earth consists of walls made from moist, sandy soil, or stabilized soil, which is tamped into form work. Walls are a minimum of 12″ thick. Soils should contain about 30% clay and 70% sand. [4]
Cutans are oriented deposits [1] which can be composed of any of the component substances of the soil material. [2] Cutans are common features in soil and represent focuses of chemical and biological reactions. Cutans may include clay skins or coatings of silica, sesquioxide, manganese, ferromanganese, soil organic matter or carbonate. [3]