Imogolite from New Guinea

Imogolite is a hydrous aluminium silicate mineral (Cradwick et al., 1973) with a fibrous morphology and low degree of structural order, which, since first described by Y oshinaga and Aomine (1962), has been reported to occur as a weathering product of pyroclastic materials in many localities. However, Wada et al. (1972) have recently drawn attention to the fact that imogolite occurs in gels derived from massive, though jointed, basalt in Hawaii. The purpose of the present note is to describe the identification of imogolite in some very young volcanic ash soils from New Guinea-a finding that has important genetic implications.