Talc is a 2:1 phyllosilicate with an ideal composition of Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. The 2:1 layer structure comprises two tetrahedral sheets of silica tetrahedra bound to one octahedral sheet of edge-linked octahedra. The octahedral sheet in talc is magnesium-rich, trioctahedral, and referred to as brucite-like. The 2:1 talc layer is electrostatically neutral and is bound to other layers by van der Waals forces. A small amount of ionic attraction between the layers may be present and result, in part, from cation substitutions (Giese, 1975). Although most talcs have compositions close to the ideal, substantial amounts of Fe may replace Mg in octahedral sites, minor amounts of Al may replace both Si and Mg in tetrahedral and octahedral sites, respectively, and small amounts of Ni, Mn, Cr, and Ti may substitute into the structure. Traces of Ca, Na, and K may occupy the interlayer site to satisfy any layer charge imbalance. The dioctahedral analog of talc is pyrophyllite, an aluminum-rich,...
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April, R.H. (1978). Talc. In: Sedimentology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31079-7_233
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