: any of a group of clay minerals having essentially the crystal structure of muscovite
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Benson and colleagues think that the caldera’s illite formed when lithium-rich fluid, heated by the underlying volcano, washed over smectite.
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Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2023
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Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Illite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illite. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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