Ceramic Utilization of Northern Kansas Pleistocene Loesses and Fossil Soils

Abstract

Late Pleistocene loesses, classed as Loveland, Peoria, and Bignell silt members of the Sanborn formation, and their contained fossil soils (Loveland and Brady) constitute the most widespread ceramic raw material in Kansas. The silt deposits were made by the action of winds on stream-borne sediments during intervals of northern and mountain glaciation. The silts were modified by weathering processes that produced deep soils on former upper surfaces, now buried by younger deposits. These silts and soils were sampled at 46 localities extending from the Missouri River on the east to the Colorado State line. Ceramic tests on 318 samples and chemical analyses of 52 samples are reported. Spectrographic analyses supplement the ceramic and chemical data. The data show a high degree of uniformity from east to west but the greater effect of weathering in the eastern part of the State has increased the clay content and plastic properties. The Loveland is especially suitable for manufacture of brick, tile, and light-weight ceramic aggregates. The Peoria silt (exclusive of the Brady soil) is suitable for manufacture of dense "ceramic slag." At many localities the entire thickness of the Sanborn formation, including the fossil soils, may be utilized as raw material for brick, tile, and both light and heavy ceramic aggregates.