Mineralogy of Particulate Matter Suspended in Sea Water

Abstract

X-ray diffraction analysis of the particulate matter of water samples from the Caribbean Sea, one from the surface and one from a depth of 768 meters, shows that the material has a mineral composition comparable to that found in deep-sea sediments of the area. The minerals found in the water samples include illite, the most abundant clay; kaolinite; chlorite; talc; mixed-layer clay; quartz; feldspar; and amphibole. Kaolinite and chlorite are more abundant relative to illite in the sediments than in the suspended material.