The mineralogy found in the coarse sands of
these soils was as follows:
Dominant minerals:
quartz, feldspars.
Frequent minerals (and abundant-dominant in some soils): orthoclase, plagioclase, muscovite, biotite, calcite, dolomite, haematite, goethite, maghemite, chert, chalcedony, gypsum, soil matrix nodules and nodules and concretions of iron and of manganese.
Occasional minerals: chlorite, chloritoid, siderite, garnets, disthene, andalusite, staurolite, tourmaline, rutile, pyroxenes (enstatite, diopside, augite, pigeonite), amphiboles (hornblende, glaucophane), zoisite, clinozoisite, casiterite, leucoxene, ilmenite, pyrite, volcanic glass and basanite.
The determination of the mineralogy of soils has been applied in soil studies both to try to clarify the formation of soils and from a point of view applied to the use of the soil.