It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Clay. (Discuss)

Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium silicates, sometimes with minor amounts of iron, magnesium and other cations. Clays have structures similar to the micas and therefore form flat hexagonal sheets. Typical clay minerals are kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Clay is a generic term for an aggregate of hydrous silicate particles less than 4 μm (micrometres) in diameter. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Atomic mass 26. ... The silicate minerals make up the the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 24. ... A cation is an ion with positive charge. ... rock with mica Mica sheet mica flakes The mica group of minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. ... Kaolin Kaolinite (Aluminium Silicate Hydroxide) Kaolinite is a mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. ... Structure of Illite mica - USGS. Illite is a non-expanding, clay-sized, micaceous mineral. ... Montmorillonite is a very soft phyllosilicate mineral that typically forms in microscopic crystals, forming a clay. ...