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clay mineral
noun
: any of a group of hydrous silicates of aluminum and sometimes other metals formed chiefly in weathering processes and occurring especially in clay and shale
Examples of clay mineral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2023, scientists announced preliminary findings, including traces of carbon and water locked up in clay minerals.
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Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2025
Thousands of hills and mounds on Mars have been found to contain layers of clay minerals, which formed when running water interacted with the rocks during a period when Mars' northern reaches were flooded.
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2025
Feldspar and mica, the main minerals in plutonic rocks like granite and metamorphic rocks like gneiss and schist, react with water and oxygen, decaying to clay minerals.
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David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
The asteroid’s sample largely consists of clay minerals, including serpentine, which makes the sample remarkably similar to rocks found at midocean ridges on Earth.
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Ashley Strickland, CNN, 27 June 2024
In 2008, scientists found evidence of the clay minerals in the fan-like structure seen in the crater.
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Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024
In a preliminary analysis of some of the dust, scientists found nearly 5 percent carbon by mass, and the material has abundant water in the form of hydrated clay minerals.
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Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023
The samples from the asteroid contained abundant water in the form of hydrated clay minerals and molecules, which may have led to the formation of lakes, oceans and rivers on Earth and had a high abundance of carbon, which may explain how Earth was seeded with chemicals.
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Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2023
Besides carbon, the asteroid rubble holds water in the form of water-bearing clay minerals, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
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Time, 11 Oct. 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1937, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near clay mineral
Cite this Entry
“Clay mineral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clay%20mineral. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on clay mineral
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clay mineral
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