Chapter

Common Soil Phyllosilicates

From Introduction to Soil Science by Amber Anderson and Rivka Fidel

Concepts

1. Common Phyllosilicates

   "The common soil phyllosilicates, in increasing order of weathering, are mica or illite, vermiculite, smectite, and kaolinite. Mica has a 2:1 structure with potassium in a tightly closed interlayer an

2. Weathering Change

   "As weathering proceeds from mica through vermiculite and smectite to kaolinite, permanent charge generally decreases. Swelling, surface area, and ion retention increase and then decrease across the s