Clay Minerals in Sediments of the Arctic Seas

The distribution of clay minerals in recent sediments on the Arctic shelf off the Eurasian and North American continents is considered. Prominence is given to the East Siberian and Laptev seas. The illite belt established on the basis of the composition of clay minerals in seven Arctic seas stretches from the Beaufort Sea to the White Sea and reveals a mineralogical zonality. The belt can be devided into smectite and chlorite provinces. Factors governing the formation of the Arctic illite belt and features of the distribution of individual clay minerals are discussed. The identification of the illite belt in sediments on the Arctic shelf complements the system of planetary latitudinal zones of clay minerals formulated by previous researchers.