Abstract
Non-crystalline mineral components of soils and sediments have great influence on their physical, chemical and biological properties. These, because the components possess large surface area, are often reagents for cementing and coating surfaces of crystalline particles and change their own reactivities depending on the pH of system involved. In contrast with the striking progress in research of crystalline minerals, studies for non-crystalline minerals have reluctantly been neglected. There is very limited knowledge for their characterization. In this article, several problems encountered due to the lack of knowledge were presented by examples from the studies of Canadian soil minerals. The necessity of basic research was emphasized to gain better understanding of such components.
