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lithosphere > rock > clay

Preferred term

clay  

Definition

  • A loose, earthy, extremely fine-grained, natural sediment or soft rock composed primarily of clay-size or colloidal particles and characterized by high plasticity and by a considerable content of clay mineral and subordinate amounts of finely divided quartz, decomposed feldspar, carbonates, ferruginous matter, and other impurities; it forms a plastic, moldable mass when finely ground and mixed with water, retains its shape on drying, and becomes firm, rocklike and permanently hard on heating or firing.

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URI

http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/1449

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 9/8/04, last modified 9/8/04