The study of clay minerals is complex and yet central to disciplines such as geology, geotechnical engineering and agriculture. The main problem concerns the identification and characterization of what are usually fine-grained, complex mixtures of grains with varying physical and chemical properties. This book, looks at those advanced techniques which are gradually developing into routine methods - the spectroscopic and chemical methods. This book should be of interest to academic and industrial mineralogists, chemists and geochemists in earth sciences, soil science, geotechnical engineering, mineral exploration, agriculture, environmental monitoring and the oil industry; and advanced students in the above disciplines.