Interstratified mineral, Interstratified clay mineral, Mixed layer mineral
Materials composed of cross-bedded 2 or 3 layer unit structures of layered minerals such as phyllosilicates. Dioctahedral type interstratified minerals are composed of dioctahedral unit layers, and trioctahedral type interstratifed minerals are composed of trioctahedral unit layers. Regularly interstratified minerals are composed of unit layers piled up reguraly with a constant sequences, and randomly interstratified minerals are composed of unit layers piled up with a random sequences. Randomly interstratified minerals are not considered as valid mineral species. As combinations of unit layers and combination ratio strongly depends on formation conditions, interstratified minerals are used for research on the distribution of metazomatic rocks.
Year of discovery: 1954 (Japan)
Locality list: 46 localities of interstratified mineral