Soil Science Team Exam 12 TAKE
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Fall 2006 Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate
Directions turn in the answers.
Name _____________________
Team Exam 12 - A take home.
This exam is due on Monday November 26
1. Fill in the blanks with one of the five clay minerals studied.
Montmorillonite (or Smectite), Illite, Kaolinite, and Vermiculite.
You may use any resources at your disposal to answer the questions about CLAY
minerals.
1. This mineral is named for this place " Kao-Ling, Jianxi, China. We know it as ________________________.
2. An important use of ______________is as an additive to soils and rocks. The effect is to slow the progress of water through the soil or rocks. This is important to engineers of earthen dams or levees to prevent leakage of fluids from bottom levels to higher aquifers used for drinking water.
3.___________ is a form hydrated phlogopite or biotite mica which has the remarkable ability of being able to expand to many times its original volume when heated---a property known as exfoliation.
4. Brick clay is clay that is suitable for the manufacturing of bricks. In a brick clay there must be sufficient clay minerals present to make it plastic to mould and to retain its shape prior to firing. Sufficient fluxing materials must also be present for the clay to vitrify (partially fuse to form a glass to give the product strength) at temperatures between 900-1100°C. An adequate proportion of non-plastic constituents, usually quartz, is also required to prevent excessive shrinkage and deformation during drying and firing. In good quality brick clays, the predominate clay minerals are ____?_____ and illite. These impart desirable properties which are important in forming and firing the brick. _______________________.
5. Sandwiches piled on each other with water between and with nothing but weak bonds to hold them together. As result, additional water can enter lattice readily, causing mineral to swell appreciably and further weakening attraction between structural sandwiches. Consequently a lump of ___________in a bucket of water slumps rapidly into a loose, incoherent mass.
6. _______________ (clay) mineral is found throughout the world in highly-weathered environments.
7. _________was named after a large deposit of clay in France.
8. The presence of _____________particles in the soil mixes aids aeration, improves moisture retention and promotes the steady release of added fertilizers while the mineral itself contributes potassium, magnesium and a number of minor elements. The air / water ratios for these soil mixes are ideal for the stimulation of root growth and the production of healthy young plants.
9. ____________ is structurally similar to that of montmorillonite, but aluminum replaces 10 to 15 percent of silicon, which destroys property of expanding with addition of water because weak bonds are replaced by strong potassium-ion links.
10. Some would have you believe this mineral should be used as a dietary supplement. They claim that users report improvement of health in many areas such as more energy and stamina, reduced arthritis pain, stronger and faster growing nails, thicker hair, stronger teeth, fewer cavities, healing of bleeding gums, faster healing of wounds or fractures, fewer colds, smoother complexion, better weight control, and an overall healthier body. The mountain in Utah which contains this mineral is an ancient bed long believed by the Native American medicine men to be mystical in nature, and rumors abound about its miraculous properties. Recently it has been recognized and utilized by the cosmetic industry and by "soil experts", who value it as an exceptionally good agricultural enhancement: crops grow faster, taste better, and are more resistant to disease. "Holy clay balls Batman, that has to be ________________!"