Smectite and hectorite
Smectites are swelling clays that readily exchange their cations. Hectorite is a magnesium- and lithium-rich smectite formed by alteration of volcanic ash in lakes; it makes up lithium clay deposits.
Composition
Hectorite: Na0.3(Mg,Li)3Si4O10(OH)2; three-layer clay.
Sources
In the atlas
- Jadar Serbia
- Emili (Bacanora Minerals) Mexico
- Thacker Pass (Lithium Americas) United States
- Kremnica Slovakia