White or greyish
clay mineral, hydrated aluminium silicate, Al
2Si
2O
5(OH)
4, formed mainly by the decomposition of feldspar in granite. It is made up of platelike crystals, the atoms of which are bonded together in two-dimensional sheets, between which the bonds are weak, so that they are able to slip over one another, a process made more easy by a layer of water. China clay (kaolin) is derived from it. It is mined in France, the UK, Germany, China, and the USA.
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