clay mineral

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

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of clay mineral¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

In one, the craft could take samples of clay minerals at a site like Mawrth Vallis, a channel thought to be carved by a long-ago flood.

From Science News

Liquid water has a fairly distinctive radar signature, but examining the electrical properties of both clay minerals and frozen brine revealed those materials could mimic this signal.

From Science News

In a river bed, “there are a lot of clay minerals, and as they settle, they can really just kind of smother anything organic, or they can even absorb organic molecules,” she says.

From Vox

Another Science study used infrared spectroscopy to demonstrate how widespread carbon-bearing minerals and hydrated clay minerals were across Bennu’s surface.

From MIT Technology Review

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

From Project Gutenberg