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
For example, the presence of clay minerals indicates past interactions between volcanic materials and water, hinting at the possibility of ancient habitable environments, according to the statement.
—
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 June 2025
Such conditions accelerate the weathering processes that release metals from the bedrock and enhance the enrichment of metals in clay minerals.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Cumberland is filled with clay minerals, which form in water, as well as organic molecule-preserving sulfur and other molecules crucial to biological proccesses, according to NASA.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Since collecting the Cumberland sample, Curiosity has used SAM to study it in a variety of ways, revealing that Yellowknife Bay was once the site of an ancient lake where clay minerals formed in water.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
These fossil remnants were surrounded by clay minerals as well as dolomite and pyrite.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Kaolin is a clay mineral humans have been extracting and refining for several millennia to produce porcelain and other ceramics.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Now researchers led by McNeil have found further supporting evidence for a northern sea, in the form of more than 15,000 mounds and hills up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) tall that contain clay minerals.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2025
In 2023, scientists announced preliminary findings, including traces of carbon and water locked up in clay minerals.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2025
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Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 June 2025
Such conditions accelerate the weathering processes that release metals from the bedrock and enhance the enrichment of metals in clay minerals.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Cumberland is filled with clay minerals, which form in water, as well as organic molecule-preserving sulfur and other molecules crucial to biological proccesses, according to NASA.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Since collecting the Cumberland sample, Curiosity has used SAM to study it in a variety of ways, revealing that Yellowknife Bay was once the site of an ancient lake where clay minerals formed in water.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
These fossil remnants were surrounded by clay minerals as well as dolomite and pyrite.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Kaolin is a clay mineral humans have been extracting and refining for several millennia to produce porcelain and other ceramics.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Now researchers led by McNeil have found further supporting evidence for a northern sea, in the form of more than 15,000 mounds and hills up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) tall that contain clay minerals.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2025
In 2023, scientists announced preliminary findings, including traces of carbon and water locked up in clay minerals.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clay mineral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clay%20mineral. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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