Clay Minerals: From Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Indicators to Industrial Raw Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Clays and clay minerals constitute important mineral resources from both scientific and industrial perspectives. The genesis of clay minerals take place when low-temperature aqueous solutions interact with rocks on the Earth’s surface. Certain factors such as the environment, the temperature, the amount of water available, or the type of weathered rock determine the clay minerals formed. Therefore, clay minerals can provide information about the paleoclimate or paleoenvironment under which they were formed. On the other hand, clays are also materials of great industrial and economic interest. Currently, clays are used in many types of industries since they constitute important components used in the manufacturing of many products, such as plastics, paper, cement, absorbent materials, ceramic and refractory materials, among others. The physical and chemical characterization of different clays (e.g., kaolin, smectites, fibrous clays) is of great interest since their industrial applications are closely related to their structure and composition. We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Minerals entitled “Clay Minerals: From Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Indicators to Industrial Raw Materials”.

Dr. Elisa Laita
Dr. Javier García-Rivas
Dr. Isabel Abad
Guest Editors

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