Natural Clay Deposits Research Articles

Insight into hemostatic performance and mechanism of natural mixed-dimensional Attapulgite clay

Clay minerals have attracted wide attention as biomedical materials due to the unique crystal structure, abundant morphology and good biocompatibility. However, the relevant studies on the abundant natural mixed clay deposits were scarcely reported. Herein, the hemostatic performance of natural mixed-dimensional attapulgite clay (MDAPT) composed of one-dimensional attapulgite and multiple two-dimensional clay were systematically investigated based on the structural evolution using oxalic acid for different time. The results of hemostatic evaluation showed that MDAPT leached by oxalic acid with 1 h presented the shortest clotting time (134 ± 12.17 s), a 15.09 % and 41.74 % reduction of relative hemoglobin absorbance at 180 s and 120 s when compared with the control group, respectively, and an increase of 19.45 % of the blood clotting index in vitro, as well as MDAPT obtained the shortest bleeding time (158.5 ± 6.9 s), nearly 66 % and 31 % reduction blood loss as compared to the blank group and the YNBY group in vivo. This improvement was primarily ascribed to the synergistic effect of lamellar non-expandable illite, and nano rod-like attapulgite. Furthermore, the rapid hemostasis of MDAPT was also due to the joint effect of superhydrophobic property toward blood, minimizing blood loss, surface negative charge, metal ions from MDAPT structural skeleton, promoting an average increase of 21 % for platelet activation. The results suggested that MDAPT could be served as a promising efficient inorganic hemostatic materials, which provided a feasible strategy to realize the high-valued utilization of natural mixed clay resources.

Characterization and Suitability Assessment of Ameskroud Clay Deposits for Ceramic Applications

The identification of natural clay deposit parameters is critical for the development of ceramics. This research underscores the essential role of understanding clay properties in producing high‐quality ceramics and represents a comprehensive characterization methodology, shedding light on the untapped potential of natural clay deposits for ceramic applications. This study investigates red clays from the Triassic, as well as yellow and gray clays from the Cretaceous period, collected from the western High Atlas of Morocco (Ameskroud). The characterization of clays from this geographic region is innovative, as they have not been previously investigated for their suitability within ceramic applications. The investigation encompasses an examination of the geological context, mineralogy, chemical composition, and physicochemical attributes of these clays. Furthermore, the thermal behavior, firing characteristics, and compressive strength of the clay samples were assessed when fired at 900°C, 1000°C, and 1100°C. Mineralogical analysis reveals that illite predominates with relatively low levels of kaolinite and chlorite. The primary chemical constituent is SiO2, followed by Al2O3 and Fe2O3. Notably, yellow clay exhibits a significant CaO content exceeding 10%. At 1100°C, the clay specimens exhibit reduced water absorption rates (ranging from 9.88% to 17.1%) and enhanced mechanical performance, with compressive strengths ranging from 22.33 MPa to 36.07 MPa, attributable to the sintering process. The findings affirm that the raw clays sourced from the Ameskroud region possess characteristics suitable for various ceramic applications, making them ideal candidates for the production of dense bricks and ceramic tiles.

Improving the Physical Properties and Water Retention of Sandy Soils by the Synergistic Utilization of Natural Clay Deposits and Wheat Straw

Improving the physical properties and water retention of sandy soils is of critical importance in arid and water-scarce regions such as Saudi Arabia. The impacts of organic amendments of different particle sizes coupled with natural clay deposits on improving the soil physio-chemical characteristics, nutrient availability, and growth of Sudan grass were investigated in this study. A loamy sand soil was amended with natural clay deposits at 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10% (w/w) application rates, and in combination with 1.0% (w/w) wheat straw of different particle sizes. The water infiltration, evaporation, and retention characteristics of the amended soil were studied for 9 weeks, and then Sudan grass was grown for 7 weeks. The impacts of the particle size of wheat straw on soil properties and nutrient availability were significant (p < 0.05) when combined with clay deposits. The highest application rate of clay (10%) demonstrated the highest water content (20.63–21.73%), and increased P and K availability to 35.54 and 6980 mg kg−1, respectively, in soil, which were 33% and 88% higher, respectively, compared to the control. Plant N, P, and K concentrations were increased to 0.95%, 0.26%, and 4.33%, respectively, which were 2–3.5-fold higher than the control. Therefore, the integrated application of natural clay deposits and wheat straw of fine particle size could be an effective strategy in improving plant production in water-scarce regions.

Evaluating friction angles for clays: piezocone tests compared with Atterberg limits

A limit plasticity solution for evaluating the effective stress friction angle in clays from piezocone tests was assessed and compared with the popular notion of using laboratory Atterberg limits on remoulded specimens. The results showed that the in situ piezocone-based method provided a far more accurate and robust interpretation of the friction angle values of 155 separate clays than empirical correlations with plasticity index when compared with laboratory benchmark values obtained from triaxial compression tests. For illustration, the piezocone-based method was shown successfully to capture the effective stress parameter of four clays with friction angles of 20–37°: normally consolidated kaolin clay in chamber tests; natural soft clay deposit located at Bothkennar, UK; Troll offshore clay in the North Sea; and soft plastic lacustrine deposits in Bogota, Colombia.

Effect of Some Soil Conditioners on Water-Use Efficacy, Growth, and Yield of Date Palm Siwi Grown in Sandy Soil under Different Irrigation Regimes to Mitigate Climate Change

A field experiment was carried out at Al-Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, during three successive seasons to find out the effect of application of bentonite (BN) as a natural clay deposit at either 6 or 12 kg/palm tree and humic substances (HS) as organic amendment at either 0.75 or 1.0 L/palm tree incorporated with Bacillus polymyxa (BP) as a biofertilizers at 14 and 28 mL/L rates on growth, yield, and fruit weight of 10-year-old Siwi date palm cv. (Phoenix dectylifera L.). Siwi trees were cultivated in sandy texture soil at a distance of 8 × 8 m and were irrigated with 100%, 85%, and 70% of ET crop. Effects of the previous treatments on growth, date palm crop, soil properties, water relations, water-use efficiency (WUE), and economic return were also studied. The obtained results showed that the mean values of leaf length, leaflet length and width, fruit set%, bunch weight, yield/palm, yield/fed, fruit weight, flesh weight, and fruit pulp weight were increased in response to the different individual and combined treatments used in this study with various significance levels compared to the control treatment means in the studied three seasons. However, the superiority was for combining between amending the sandy soil with either low concentrations of BN (6 kg/tree) + HS (0.75 Liter/tree) + BP (14 mL/L) or high concentrations of BN (12 kg/tree) + HS (1.0 L/tree) + BP (28 mL/L) and irrigation with 85% of ETc water level, as such combinations attained the highest values in most of the mentioned values over both the sole and combined treatments in the studied three seasons. Furthermore, the results indicated that the highest monthly ETc values occurred during June and July months, while the lowest values occurred during December and January months. Additionally, water productivity (WP) increased considerably by reduction of water quantity (70% ETc) associated with soil conditioner treatment (BN.12 kg +HS 1 L + BP. 28 mL/L), and values were 2.17, 2.25, and 2.27 kg fruit/m3 of water irrigation during the growing seasons, respectively. The highest net return was attributed to irrigation with 85% of ETc water level along with the application of soil conditioners at high rates. Accordingly, it is advisable to apply the soil conditioners of bentonite (at 6 or 12 kg/tree) and humic substances (at either 0.75 or 1.0 L/tree) with B. polymyxa (at either 14 or 28 mL/L) plus irrigation with either 85% or 70% of ETc water level to obtain the best growth, highest yield, (WP), and gross return from var. Siwi date palm grown under an oasis agro-system.

The earliest adobe monumental architecture in the Americas

Adobe bricks, or mud bricks, are construction elements which have defined major architectural traditions in the Andes over thousands of years. From Moche pyramids and the ancient city of Chan Chan in pre-Hispanic times, to Spanish casonas of the colonial period and rural houses in contemporary South America, adobe has been a central component in Andean architecture. Discovery of the remains of an early monumental building constructed primarily of adobes at Los Morteros (lower Chao Valley, north coast of Peru) places the invention of adobe architecture before 5,100 calendar years B.P. The unique composition, internal structure, and chronology of the adobes from Los Morteros show the beginnings of this architectural technique, which is associated with El Niño rainfall and the construction of the earliest adobe monumental building in the Americas. We propose that adobe architecture became a major Andean tradition after a long period of technical evolution and experimentation with both shape and composition.

Community College Ceramics and Student Research: Cooperative Work Experience Projects in the Arts

For the past three semesters in the Fine Arts Program at Allan Hancock College, student researchers have been sampling, researching, and firing natural clay deposits found in the campus region. Students research local clays by firing them at various temperatures and adding variable fluxes to experiment with eutectic melting points. A cooperative work experience project is being piloted to develop a model outreach/interdisciplinary curricular guide for the Minerals Resources Program.

On the behavior of monopiles subjected to multiple episodes of cyclic loading and reconsolidation in cohesive soils

The study of cyclic loading on saturated natural clay deposits is of great interest for the analysis of offshore and onshore structures. Recent experimental research in the field of offshore engineering has indicated that the mechanical behavior of monopiles is strongly influenced by the reconsolidation processes that take place during calm conditions. After the reconsolidation episodes, the soil-pile stiffness considerably increases. Unfortunately, the previous behavior is usually disregarded in the numerical analysis and design of monopiles. In this work, the behavior of monopiles subjected to multiple episodes of cyclic loading and reconsolidation is analyzed from a numerical point of view. For that purpose, the sophisticated hypoplastic model for clays by Mašín (2014) with intergranular strain by Niemunis and Herle (1997) is carefully evaluated under element test conditions and by back-calculating some centrifuge tests. For the calibration of the constitutive model, three undrained monotonic and three undrained cyclic triaxial tests were performed. At the end, the influence of reconsolidation stages on the design of monopiles and the model capabilities to reproduce this behavior are discussed.

Acid-Modified and Unmodified Natural Clay Deposits for In Situ Immobilization and Reducing Phytoavailability of Molybdenum in a Sandy Loam Calcareous Soil

Molybdenum (Mo) in basic soils has high bioavailability and plant toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of increasing Mo concentration on its availability and toxicity threshold in alfalfa plants grown in sandy loam calcareous soils, and the potential use of raw and acid- modified clay deposits as soil additives to immobilize Mo and reduce its phytoavailability. Raw clay deposits (RCD) were treated with H2SO4 to produce acid-modified clay deposits (AMCD). The first experiment was performed using soils treated with 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 50, and 100 mg Mo kg−1. The second experiment was conducted with soils treated with 10 or 50 mg Mo kg−1 and amended with RCD and AMCD at application rates of 0, 2.5, 5, and 10% (w/w). After harvesting, water-soluble Mo, ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA)-extractable Mo, and shoot Mo content as well as dry matter were measured. The results showed that water-soluble Mo, AB-DTPA-extractable Mo, and shoot Mo concentration increased at higher Mo soil addition. AMCD had a stronger influence on Mo immobilization and reduction effect on plant shoots compared to RCD, depending on soil Mo concentration and application rate. Applying AMCD decreased soil pH but increased salinity levels. The shoot dry matter significantly increased in soils amended with RCD and/or AMCD compared to control soils; with the highest improvement recorded for RCD at 10%. It was concluded that AMCD is an efficient immobilizing agent to reduce Mo mobility and its phytoavailability in calcareous soils. Additionally, both AMCD and especially RCD were able to create favorable conditions for plant growth.

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 Access to water has been a subject in my work since I can remember. After hurricanes Irma and María it became more about aligning my artistic practice with a proposal that moves me. Since 2012 I have been studying natural clay deposits and since 2017 I have been doing so with the intention to clean water. This has been pretty much nonstop. For much of Puerto Rico and myself, water is natural abundance as well as a subject of disproportionate injustice; a subject of so much serenity yet also violence. When we immersed ourselves in nature during the conference, the lake was what pulled me. I was watching the waves: these being the physical manifestation of how wind and water negotiate by way of surface tension. As I was sitting there, following the reflections move, wanting to capture these ephemeral movements and colors travelling to depict the central idea of surface tension. I poured colors of the sunset, the trees, and various parts of the landscape on the canvas. It got messy really fast and appeared as though it would take forever to dry. In response to the rapidly approaching reconvening of the group, I placed a paper over the canvas to soak the runaway paint. While peeling the paper, I realized that I was feeling the resistance of the paint and the paper: instead of representing surface tension I began to experience the surface tension. This meant that there were now two paintings: one reflecting the other, both embodying surface tension rather than portraying it.
 
 

Characterization of natural Lebanese clays for the preparation of ceramic membranes designed to water filtration

The potentiality of natural Lebanon minerals for the fabrication of ceramics membranes has been investigated for the first time, opening new perspectives for the development of local, low-cost and sustainable processes for water filtration. Natural clay deposits, originated from North (Kousba, El-Koura), South (Hasbaya) and East (Rashaya, south of the Beqaa valley) regions of Lebanon were collected and investigated in terms of chemical, mineralogical and thermal features. The phase and chemical transformations occurring during heat treatments of these clays were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), in view of their uses as membranes for water purification. Flat membranes were prepared by roll-pressing of clay pastes followed by pyrolysis. The mineral membranes were characterized in terms of porosity and water flux.

A sustainable approach to fabricate new 1D and 2D nanomaterials from natural abundant palygorskite clay for antibacterial and adsorption

It is always highly desirable to synthesize functional nanomaterials using cheap, naturally abundant clay deposits as starting materials, but the major challenge is lack of new way to utilize all of components in clay deposits and minimize the generation of waste. In order to resolve the problem, we proposed a “split” and “reconstruct” strategy to tailor palygorskite (Pal) clay deposits, and used each component to synthesizing three new nanomaterials with different morphologies and functions: copper silicate nanotube (CuSiO3), silica nanotube@Cu nanoparticles (SiO2-NT@Cu), and Mg-Al-Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH). The Pal clay deposits were first subjected to an acid bleaching process to obtain silica nanorods and solution rich in Mg(II), Al(II), Fe(III) ions. The silica as a Si source may react with Cu(II) to form CuSiO3 nanotube, which was allowed to be in-situ reduced in vapor or liquid phase to produce coral-like SiO2-NT@Cu nanocomposite with well-distributed Cu nanoparticles (CuNPs). The solution rich in Mg(II), Al(II), Fe(III) was used to synthesize Mg-Al-Fe LDH nanosheets by a simple co-precipitation process. It was confirmed that the tubular SiO2-NT@Cu nanocomposite can inhibit effectively the growth of E. coli and S. aureus, with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.0 mg/mL and 0.6 mg/mL, respectively. The 2D nanolayered LDH compounds can capture efficiently and selectively anionic dye Congo Red (CR) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 254.14 ± 7.72 mg/g, due to an ion exchange and electrostatic attraction mechanism. This work provides a universal, cost-efficient and sustainable way to utilize all of components in low-grade natural clay deposits to synthesize useful nanomaterials with special functions, and also opens a new avenue for high-value utilization of abundant clay deposits.

Suitability of natural calcined clays as supplementary cementitious material

The use of natural calcined clays as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) is becoming increasingly interesting for the cement industry. Most of investigations on calcined clays in literature work on pure kaolinitic and illitic clays. The presented research deals with 15 clays of different levels of quality, representing a wide range of natural clay deposits, were examined in terms of their suitability as a cement constituent. Therefore the clays were calcined under different burning conditions and different analyses to determine the reactivity of the calcined products were carried out and discussed. Furthermore, a sensitive method for determination of reactive silica which correlates clearly with clay's strength contribution was used. Cements with 20 and 40 mass % of calcined clay respectively were produced and examined in terms of their cement-relevant properties.The production of calcined clays in compliance with the requirements of EN 197-1 was possible with all examined varieties of clay. In addition, it was also possible to produce cements in strength class 42,5 R with the calcined clays. Clay mineralogy and burning conditions had a considerable influence on the calcined clays' contribution to strength within the cement. The overall results let expect the suitability of a broad range of calcined natural clays as SCM. The results of this study suggest that a broad range of natural calcined clays are suitable as SCM's.

Organoclay-based nanoparticles from montmorillonite and natural clay deposits: Synthesis, characteristics, and application for MTBE removal

This study introduces organoclay-based submicron- and nanosized particles prepared from montmorillonite (SWy2) and naturally occurring clay deposits using sequential steps of wet ball milling, ultrasonication and sedimentation followed by an ion exchange process using two surfactants, long alkyl chain HDTMA+ (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) and short alkyl chain TMA+ (tetramethylammonium bromide). The resultant organoclay-based nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The adsorption of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) by organo-montmorillonite with different surfactant loadings (0.5–2.0 CEC) in aqueous solution was also investigated. The results of XRD analysis for organoclay-based nanoparticles showed that the value of d (001) increased with increasing alkyl chain length and surfactant loading. FTIR results showed that the functional groups of the organoclays changed due to the intercalation of the long alkyl chain surfactant HDTMA+ between clay layers. The removal of MTBE is highly dependent upon surfactant type and loading. The results indicated that the organo-montmorillonite-based nanoparticles prepared from HDTMA+ have a higher affinity for MTBE in aqueous solution than the organo-montmorillonite prepared from TMA+. Therefore, long alkyl chain HDTMA+ can be considered to be the most suitable organo-modifier for enhancing the adsorption characteristics of montmorillonite for MTBE removal.

Numerical analysis of suction embedded plate anchors in structured clay

As offshore energy developments move towards deeper water, moored floating production facilities are increasingly preferred to fixed structures. Anchoring systems are therefore of great interest to engineers working on deep water developments. Suction embedded plate anchors (SEPLAs) are rapidly becoming a popular solution, possessing a more accurate and predictable installation process compared to traditional alternatives. In this paper, finite element analysis has been conducted to evaluate the ultimate pullout capacity of SEPLAs in a range of post-keying configurations. Previous numerical studies of anchor pullout capacity have generally treated the soil as an elastic-perfectly plastic medium. However, the mechanical behaviour of natural clays is affected by inter-particle bonding, or structure, which cannot be accounted for using simple elasto-plastic models. Here, an advanced constitutive model formulated within the kinematic hardening framework is used to accurately predict the degradation of structure as an anchor embedded in a natural soft clay deposit is loaded to its pullout capacity. In comparison with an idealised, non-softening clay, the degradation of clay structure due to plastic strains in the soil mass results in a lower pullout capacity factor, a quantity commonly used in design, and a more complex load–displacement relationship. It can be concluded that clay structure has an important effect on the pullout behaviour of plate anchors.

Modeling Pile Setup in Natural Clay Deposit Considering Soil Anisotropy, Structure, and Creep Effects: Case Study

AbstractThis paper reports the results of a numerical investigation of the behavior of a natural soft clay deposit under the installation of a case study pile. The case study problem included installation of an instrumented close-ended displacement pile in a soft marine clay deposit, known as Bothkennar clay, in Scotland. The site has been used for a number of years as a geotechnical test bed site, and the clay has been comprehensively characterized with both in situ tests and laboratory experiments. The soft soil behavior, both after pile installation and subsequent consolidation, was reproduced by using an advanced critical-state-based constitutive model that accounts for the anisotropy of soil fabric and destructuration effects during plastic straining. Furthermore, a time-dependent extension of the model was used to study soil creep and the significance of its consideration in the overall pile-installation effects. The simulation results were compared against field measurements; furthermore, for compa...

The Influence of UV-Treatment of Clay Deposits Catoca and Catete (Angola) on the Composition and Concentration of Cation in the Filtrate

The paper presents the results of studies of the effect of ultraviolet activation (UV-activated) of natural clay deposits Catoca and Catete (Angola). There were given data of X-ray diffraction data of original and washed clays, in which revealed the presence in them of clay materials, such as kaolinite, montmorrilonite, saponte, illite. There were described some features of kaolinite, montmorrilonite, illite. It was noticed that clay materials are capable of cation exchange by isomorphic substitution in tetrahedral of crystalline lattices of minerals. During experiments was showed that UV-irradiation of clay leads to their activation. This is confirmed by difference in cation composition of water extracts in which the cation content of Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ was higher in the case, if the clay was subjected to activation. Wherein content of ions of Ni 2+ and Cu 2+ was lower in the UV-treated clays. The maximum effect of leaking in aqueous medium of clay deposits for Catoca by ions Ca 2+ (51,1 %), and for clay deposits Catete by ions Na 2+ (15,1 %). For solutions containing cation Na 2+ , the maximum effect was observed on the washout for cation Al 3+ (25,0 %) for clay deposits Catoca, and for cation Na 2+ (55,6) – for clay deposits Catete. For solutions containing cation Ca 2+ , the maximum effect of washout on clays deposits Catoca fixed for cation K + (80,9 %), for clays of deposits Catete either for cation K + (31.6%). Difference in the percentage yield of cation in the solutions, apparently, can be explained by the difference in the composition of clays.

Preparation and characterization of novel clay/scleroglucan nanocomposites

In pursuit of integrating the use of clay/polymer nanocomposites (CPN) into mainstream applications, improvements made to the preparation process can be useful measures. One such measure involves taking advantage of the global prevalence of clay deposits via their use as primary sources for filler material, as opposed to expensive reference or commercial clay minerals. In this paper, a novel CPN was prepared using bentonite from Porto Santo Island, located in the Madeira archipelago, and was subsequently compared to a CPN prepared using the reference clay mineral SWy-2. According to an XRD characterization of both of the CPN materials, a monolayer intercalation of the biopolymer between the clay mineral layers had occurred. TEM results indicated that there was a mixture of exfoliated and intercalated structures in both cases, but in that of the CPN prepared using Porto Santo bentonite, a greater extent of disorder was observed. This was interpreted as having implications in the thermal stability of the CPN, since that of Porto Santo bentonite outperformed the SWy-2 based CPN when the temperatures of the 60% mass loss were compared. Nonetheless, TGA analysis of both nanocomposites indicated a thermal stability that surpassed that of the pristine polymer alone. This advantageous feature, in conjunction with the low-cost and high accessibility of filler material sourced directly from natural clay deposits, is a promising aspect towards improving the applicability of clay polymer nanocomposites.

Characterization of Precursor Clay Body and Weibull Analysis of the Compressive Strength of Structural Blocks

The modern concepts of civil construction for building with a maximum of 5 stores rely on structural blocks to support part of the load. These are normally hollow parallelepiped pieces made of concrete or fired ceramic. In Brazil, the abundance and easy to mine natural clay deposits favor the use of structural blocks fabricated of fired clay ceramics. Moreover, the available wood from reforestation, as fuel for the ceramic furnaces has the advantages of a less expensive and environmentally correct source of energy. Since the main property of a structural block is its compressive strength, special care should be taken in its evaluation. The ceramic industries in Campos dos Goytacazes, traditionally involved in the fabrication of simple non-structural clay bricks, are currently interested in producing structural blocks to attend large scale governmental housing programs. In order to evaluate the mechanical performance of these structural blocks, the preset work carried out a statistical study of their compressive strength by means of the Weibull analysis together with a characterization of the precursor clay body. The results indicated that the structural blocks comply with the norm and confirmed a valid number of tested specimens.

Importance of sedimentation process for formation of microfabric in clay deposit

When a clay sample is reconstituted from a slurry state to a normally consolidated state, a higher initial water content generally derives a higher void ratio in e–logp relationship. However, in undisturbed Holocene clay samples collected from a soil layer under the seabed, void ratio is much higher than that for the reconstituted, even though the reconstituted sample was consolidated from a sample slurry state with a very high initial water content. Therefore, the higher void ratio for undisturbed Holocene clay cannot be explained by the initial water content. There must be another key factor to explain the higher void ratio for undisturbed Holocene clay. In this study, the difference between the microfabric of deposited clay from suspension state and reconstituted clay from a slurry state is investigated to clarify the key factors contributing to the higher void ratio. The clay in this study is Osaka Bay Holocene clay sampled from GL −15 to −19m below the seabed. Sedimentation tests from the suspension state were carried out in various conditions of initial water content, salt concentration, and pH. A series of sedimentation tests was carried out with two types of hollow cylinders: an observation glass cylinder with an inner diameter of 60mm and a height of 400mm (specimen height of 350mm), and a cylindrical acrylic container with an inner diameter of 100mm and a height of 1800mm (specimen height of 1500mm). In the 100-mm diameter cylinder, the deposited sample was consolidated by a pressure of 19.6kPa, then mounted in an oedometer ring with an inner diameter of 60mm and a height of 20mm. An incremental loading oedometer test was then carried out up to 39.2kPa. The microfabric of the consolidated specimen was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and quantitatively investigated by mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP). It was shown that the high void ratio of natural clay deposit is not only due to the high initial water content but also to the sedimentation process with flocculation. This plays an important role in the formation of the microfabric of natural clay deposits characterized by a significantly higher void ratio than reconstituted samples.