Clays, Clay Minerals and Geology

Dear Colleagues,

Sedimentary rocks cover about 80% of the Earth’s surface, and clays represent well over 40% of sedimentary rocks. The wide diffusion of these sediments and their characteristics (large specific surface, cation exchange capacity, water retention capacity, thixotropy, etc.) make clays extremely important for their large use in the last thousand years. The main environment where clay minerals form and evolve is represented by soils, where parent minerals are transformed into clay due to weathering the interaction with living organisms. Other important environments include hydrothermal systems, where clay minerals form due to the rise of high-temperature fluids. After their formation, clay minerals are transported by streams, wind, and glaciers and settle mainly in deep marine environments. The current distribution of clay minerals in the oceans suggests that the climate plays a fundamental control on the formation of these mineral phases. Subsequently, these minerals undergo important transformations at low temperatures within sedimentary basins, due to the sedimentary and/or tectonic load. From the above statements, it appears that clay minerals are crucial in the various disciplines of the earth sciences, such as geodynamics, basin analysis, sedimentology, climate change, reconstruction of depositional environments, tectonics, etc. Contributions focusing on clay minerals aimed at solving geological problems and understanding the formation and evolution of clay minerals within constrained geological environments are welcome.

Dr. Francesco Cavalcante
Guest Editor

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