KAOLIN (CHINA CLAY) - Brittany, France

China Clay Pits, Berrien, Châteaulin, Finistère, Brittany, France

Kaolin, or china clay, is an ingredient in the production of china and porcelain, and also used in the manufacture of paper and other products.

Kaolin consists primarily of the clay mineral kaolinite, which is formed from the decomposition of feldspar crystals, and in the china clay pits of Cornwall and Brittany the decomposing feldspar comes from granite.

This sample was collected in 1986 and is from an old university collection. It is enclosed in a glass phial with a cork stopper.