Download or read book The Origin of Clay Minerals in Soils and Weathered Rocks written by Bruce B. Velde and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-07-18 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of huge relevance in a number of fields, this is a survey of the different processes of soil clay mineral formation and the consequences of these processes concerning the soil ecosystem, especially plant and mineral. Two independent systems form soil materials. The first is the interaction of rocks and water, unstable minerals adjusting to surface conditions. The second is the interaction of the biosphere with clays in the upper parts of alteration profiles.