I know clay is a mixture of weathered silicaand alumina minerals,and that it is often found in river beds. But

Question

are clay deposits ever found on the ocean floor, away from the mouths of rivers that might deposit such particles of matter?

Anybody care to estimate whether such clay might be suitable for crude ceramics/pottery...?

Does this have anything to do with turbidity currents?

Not clear? Let me know, I'll add more details.

Thanks!

16 DEC 07 0211 hrs, GMT.

Answer 1

Yes clay is found on abyssal parts of the ocean floor. It is carried there by wind, much like all the soil on some islands such as Barbados (which is an uplifted coral reef) came across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa.

Turbidity currents also carry clay into the deep ocean and the distal portions of turbidite deposits are fine-grained material including clay.

From a website: (I quote)
"Abyssal clays accumulate at ~1 mm/1,000 yr (very slowly) and cover most of the deep ocean floor. They are commonly reddish brown, and consist of clay-sized particles derived from the continents and carried by winds and ocean currents to the open ocean. They are commonly mixed with volcanic ash and traces of cosmogenic dust."
see: http://www.usask.ca/geology/classes/geol206/geol206rr1.html

This abyssal red clay is thought to cover about 30% of the sea floor, thus 20% of the earth's surface.
From:
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=5255015

Illite is the most common clay mineral in abyssal clays. Kaolinite is found in the equatorial Atlantic. High concentrations of kaolinite are offshore equatorial Africa and in the eastern Indian Ocean. Montmorillonites and smectites are more common in the South Pacific and near sources of volcanic activity.

The North Atlantic and the North Pacific contain large proportions of illite.

In high latitudes large proportions of chlorite are found.

Micro-nodules of manganese are found in some ocean floor clays.
http://geology.uprm.edu/Morelock/dpseaterrig.htm

You may discover that abyssal clays have enough variation that different sources may produce different ceramic properties. I believe porcelain is from kaolinite, so I would be interested to see if these abyssal clays would result in fine pottery of porcelain quality.

Answer 2

i won't doubt in your question for everything is possible,but the probability maybe too low.,
and such clay are undicovered and if ever it is found out that there is such kind of clay,its components differ from the usual ones that can be found on river ends and maybe not enough or unsuited for pottery for ceramic making

Answer 3

Yes estaurine systems full of mud and crude masonry ceramics (bricks) made from it with salt inherent in the clay leading to poor quality hydroscopic crumbly bricks were made often in colonial countries leading to old buildings with bricks that literally rot away.

Answer 4

it quite is a sturdy question. The rivers carry the bedload with them that's composed of the rocks and debris already weathered and eroded down the valley flanks. This eroded supplies in specific situations comprise gold debris as high-quality flakes or coarse grains and barely nuggets, if source rocks interior the river basin are auriferous. for the duration of its adventure with water this bedload gets differentiated by density variations, the particularly low density fabric strikes away swifter and the particularly extreme density fabric continues to be decrease back with the intention to assert. Their is usually a hydrodynamic concern (gradient and speed of flowing water) that may pass debris of diverse sizes, density alongside with water yet, if the flowing water without warning encounters a hydrodynamic wreck the place the gradient and speed without warning retards, the extreme density debris starts off dropping down and the low density debris strikes away with water. that's how, quartz, mica etc. gets separated out and extreme density debris like magnetite, garnet, amphiboles etc. get centred on the hydrodynamic breaks like down circulation area of boulders or the place the river enters a extensive valley. Gold has a density 17-19 based upon its purity for this reason it has a sturdy tendency to chop up and drop out for the duration of pass in water. this could be a mechanical separation by density evaluation finished certainly by potential of shifting water. by fact of this gold concentration is discovered as placers alongside river classes extremely at factors the place the river opens up right into a valley front. thnks