What is clay?
Q: What is clay?
A: Clay is a fine-grained silicate mineral made when rocks break down.
Q: What can be made from wet clay?
A: Wet clay can be shaped to make pottery, bricks, and other things.
Q: What happens to clay when it is fired in a kiln?
A: When clay is fired in a kiln, it becomes hard and turns into pottery.
Q: What does clay often contain and why?
A: Clay often contains some water because the water molecules stick to the tiny grains. There may also be some organic materials in the clay.
Q: How many recognized clay mineral species are there on Earth?
A: There are 35 recognized clay mineral species on Earth.
Q: Where does clay come from?
A: Clay can come from soil, volcanic ash, glaciation, and ancient mudrocks that weather and disintegrate easily.
Q: What is the difference between silt and clay?
A: Where the grains are more than a few millimeters wide, the material is called silt, not clay. A clay particle is about 1/1000th the width of a sand grain, which means a clay particle will travel 1000 times farther at constant water velocity, thus requiring quieter conditions for settlement.
