The microstructure of London Clay

Summary The microstructure of London Clay from several localities and depths was examined in thin section under the polarizing microscope. Except where severely weathered the clay was found to have a strong preferred particle orientation and frequent microscopic discontinuities. These features are compared with those observed in the study of some other clays. The microstructure of an artificially sedimented and consolidated sample of London Clay helps us to understand the origin of the microstructures observed in the natural specimens.