clay mineral

American  

noun

1. any of a group of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals, as kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite, that constitute the major portion of most clays.

---

clay mineral British  

noun

1. any of a group of minerals consisting of hydrated aluminium silicates: the major constituents of clays

---

Etymology

Origin of clay mineral

First recorded in 1945–50

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clay mineral

These included hospital and micro-CT scans, thin sections, X-ray spectroscopy, clay mineral analyses, and a close study of the rock layers where the fossils were found.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

For example, pyroxene can be converted to the clay minerals chlorite or smectite, and olivine can be converted to the clay mineral serpentine.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

“But to geologists, it’s pretty exciting, because it’s a clay mineral that forms in a particular aqueous environment.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2014

Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 23, 2014

It is generally imbedded in lumps in the red clay mineral soil.

From Scenes and Andventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---