Clay minerals in Gamalama volcanic soil have not yet been identified thoroughly. The soil is estimated to contain nanoscale natural clays, such as halloysite or imogolite. The occurrence of nanoclays in the soil will support the development of many applications in nanotechnologies from nature. The objective of the present study was to characterize soil samples from five different locations around the volcano at three different depths from the soil surface. A total of 50 g of dry soil sample was stirred slowly in 300 mL of distilled water. Stirring was stopped after the addition of 10 mL of 30% H₂O₂ and then allowed to stand for 24 h. The small floating particles with dimensions of <2 μm were separated from the mixture and collected using a centrifuge at 4000 rpm (1790×g) for 30 min. About 5 g of solid sample was obtained for further characterization. X-ray diffraction results showed the presence of halloysite, allophane, and kaolinite. Morphology analysis by scanning and transmission electron microscopy of some representative samples showed short tubes 10–20 nm in diameter and 50–100 nm long with the halloysite structure. Halloysite was found at 70 cm depth from the soil surface at almost all locations. The surface area determined by the surface area analyzer using the BET equation was as much as 112.51 m²/g. This surface area is thought to be the largest ever determined for a natural nanoclay, paving the way for future application as catalytic or photocatalytic-supporting materials.

Gamalama 火山土壤中的粘土矿物尚未彻底鉴定。据估计，土壤含有纳米级天然粘土，例如埃洛石或伊毛缟石。土壤中纳米粘土的出现将支持自然纳米技术的许多应用的发展。本研究的目的是表征火山周围五个不同位置的土壤样本，这些位置距离土壤表面的三个不同深度。将总共​​ 50 g 干燥的土壤样品在 300 mL 蒸馏水中缓慢搅拌。_{加入10 mL 30% H 2} O ₂后停止搅拌，然后静置24 h。从混合物中分离出尺寸小于 2 μm 的小漂浮颗粒，并使用离心机以 4000 rpm (1790 x g) 30 分钟。获得约 5 g 固体样品用于进一步表征。X 射线衍射结果表明存在埃洛石、水铝英石和高岭石。通过扫描和透射电子显微镜对一些代表性样品进行的形态分析显示，短管直径为 10-20 nm，长为 50-100 nm，具有埃洛石结构。几乎所有地点都在距土壤表面 70 厘米深的地方发现了埃洛石。使用BET方程的表面积分析仪测定的表面积高达112.51 m ² /g。该表面积被认为是迄今为止确定的天然纳米粘土最大的表面积，为未来作为催化或光催化支持材料的应用铺平了道路。