Clay Minerals and the Origin of Life

Clay Minerals and the Origin of Life PDF

Author: Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith

Publisher: CUP Archive

Published: 1986-12-18

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780521324083

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This volume is the edited proceedings of a conference seeking to clarify the possible role of clays in the origin of life on Earth. At the heart of the problem of the origin of life lie fundamental questions such as: What kind of properties is a model of a primitive living system required to exhibit and what would its most plausible chemical and molecular makeup be? Answers to these questions have traditionally been sought in terms of properties that are held to be common to all contemporary organisms. However, there are a number of different ideas both on the nature and on the evolutionary priority of 'common vital properties', notably those based on protoplasmic, biochemical and genetic theories of life. This is therefore the first area for consideration in this volume and the contributors then examine to what extent the properties of clay match those required by the substance which acted as the template for life.

Origin and Mineralogy of Clays

Origin and Mineralogy of Clays PDF

Author: Bruce Velde

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1995-09-15

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 3540580123

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Origin and Mineralogy of Clays, the first of two volumes, lays the groundwork for a thorough study of clays in the environment. The second volume will deal with environmental interaction. Going from soils to sediments to diagenesis and hydrothermal alteration, the book covers the whole spectrum of clays. The chapters on surface environments are of great relevance in regard to environmental problems in soils, rivers and lake-ocean situations, showing the greatest interaction between living species and the chemicals in their habitat. The book is of interest to scientists and students working on environmental issues.

The Origin of Clay Minerals in Soils and Weathered Rocks

The Origin of Clay Minerals in Soils and Weathered Rocks PDF

Author: Bruce B. Velde

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-07-18

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 3540756345

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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.

Introduction to Clay Minerals

Introduction to Clay Minerals PDF

Author: Velde

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9401123683

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Introduction to Clay Minerals is designed to give a detailed, concise and clear introduction to clay mineralogy. Using the information presented here, one should be able to understand clays and their mineralogy, their uses and importance in modern life.

Clay Minerals

Clay Minerals PDF

Author: Tushar Kanti Sen

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781536108231

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To a geologist, clay minerals are fine particles (

The Origin of Life on the Earth

The Origin of Life on the Earth PDF

Author: A. I. Oparin

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2013-09-03

Total Pages: 731

ISBN-13: 1483222403

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The Origin of Life on the Earth covers the proceedings of the First International Symposium of The Origin of Life on the Earth, held at Moscow on August 19-24, 1957. This symposium brings together numerous scientific studies on the evolutionary principles and the different stages in the evolutionary development of matter. This book is organized into seven parts encompassing 60 chapters. The first parts discuss evidence that on the formation of hydrocarbons and their derivatives on the surface of the Earth even before the emergence of life. The subsequent parts are devoted to the many asymmetrical syntheses under the influence of circularly-polarized ultraviolet light, by catalytic reactions occurring on the surface of quartz crystals, and spontaneously by slow crystallization from solutions. These topics are followed by reviews on the possible means of abiogenic formation of amino acids, porphyrins, protein-like polymers, polynucleotides and other high-molecular organic compounds. Considerable chapters explore the complete possibility of the primary formation of these compounds on the surface of the Earth even before life was present on it. Other general topics covered include nucleic acids, nucleoproteins and viruses. The last part considers general biochemical problems connected with the further development of metabolism. This book will be of value to astronomers, physicists, geologists, chemists, and biologists.

Clay Minerals

Clay Minerals PDF

Author: B. Velde

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2000-04-01

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 0080869548

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This book follows another by the same author, published in 1977, which the author considered as ``a first attempt to put some order in the house of clay petrology''. That book was described as ``an excellent first attack on clay mineral petrology... informative, and stimulating because of the method of presentation and the open-door treatment of the subject. Not only clay-mineral scientists but petrologists in general must read this first book on clay mineral petrology.'' (Earth Science Reviews).This book describes clay mineral occurrence in terms of the physical and chemical forces which influence it. It includes a geological description of mineral occurrence, a definition of the major features of clay mineral chemical composition, and an indication of the physical-chemical boundaries of these occurrences. It also presents general patterns for the geological environments of weathering, sedimentation, burial diagenesis, deep sea basalt alteration, hydrothermal alteration of acidic rocks and chemical precipitation in acidic and basic environments. The major clay groups are related to one another as they occur in geological systems through the use of graphical analysis. The author has thoroughly reviewed the relevant literature for the last 25 years. The data and analyses obtained and presented in this book will not only make interesting reading, but will also prove extremely useful to those involved with studies in deep sea research, mining geology, petroleum geology, agronomy and civil engineering.

Seven Clues to the Origin of Life

Seven Clues to the Origin of Life PDF

Author: Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1990-09-13

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780521398282

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The mysteries surrounding the origins of life on earth are written in detective story fashion by a world famous scientist in this popular version of Genetic Takeover, originally published in 1982.

Clays and Clay Minerals

Clays and Clay Minerals PDF

Author: Ada Swineford

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2015-12-04

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1483164608

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Clays and Clay Minerals, Volume 5 contains the proceedings of the Seventh National Conference on Clays and Clay Minerals held in Washington, D.C., on October 20-23, 1958. The papers explore developments in clays and clay mineralogy and cover topics such as differential settling tendencies of clay minerals in saline waters; effect of seawater on clay minerals; clay mineralogy of bottom sediments; relationships in the montmorillonite group of clay minerals; and water content of vermiculite. Advances in X-ray diftractometry of clay minerals are also discussed. This book is comprised of 23 chapters and begins with an analysis of differential settling velocities of individual clay mineral types and clay mineral mixtures in quiet saline water. The reader is then introduced to rapid dissolution of allophane and kaolinite-halloysite after dehydration; formation of chlorite-like structures from montmorillonite; regional clay mineral patterns in the Gulf of Mexico; and quantitative X-ray determinations of some aluminous clay minerals in rocks. The geology of clay deposits in parts of Washington and Idaho is also examined, along with the influence of exchangeable cations on the viscosity of clay suspensions. The final chapter presents the results of X-ray analysis of soil colloids by a modified salted paste method. This volume will be of value to earth scientists, mineralogists, and those interested in clays.