Title: MINERALOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SOILS OF THE MARITIME PROVINCES
Abstract: The mineralogy of the clay and coarse silt fractions of 31 Maritime soils with a few exceptions showed close similarities. The predominant clay mineral was illite and it was associated with chlorite, vermiculite and kaolinite. Significant amounts of montmorillonite occurred in only one soil, the Truro. Vermiculite appeared in all the surface soil clays, and mixed-layer assemblages of various 2:1 layer silicates, including chloritic components, were present in many of the clays.The silt fractions of the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick soils contained substantial amounts of albite-type plagioclase feldspar in addition to quartz, chlorite and mica. The Prince Edward Island soils, except the Queens, differed in that they contained small amounts of a variety of feldspars.