Can dust agglutinate without water?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of dust agglutination, specifically whether it can occur without the presence of water. Participants explore definitions and examples related to agglutination in geological contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant cites a claim that only dust from hydrated minerals can agglutinate due to Van Der Waals forces, expressing skepticism about this assertion.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about the term "agglutinate" and suggests seeking information from Earth Sciences.
  • A third participant provides a link to resources related to sedimentary consolidation, potentially relevant to the topic.
  • A participant clarifies their understanding of "agglutinate" as meaning "stick together," providing examples of materials that can agglutinate.
  • One participant shares their prior impression that moisture is necessary for agglutination, acknowledging a lack of formal study on the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus, as there are differing views on whether moisture is required for dust agglutination, and some express uncertainty about the definitions involved.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on specific definitions of agglutination and may depend on the context of geological materials, which remains unresolved in the discussion.

Jairo
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I saw a guy claiming to have studied geology and telling that "only dust of hydrated minerals could agglutinate, because agglutination is produced only by Van Der Wall forces".
I read many times that dust can agglutinate without water traces, so I see this is wrong, but I would like to read some specialized coment or text about this matter.
Thanks.
 
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I don't even know what 'agglutinate' means. Have you tried Earth Sciences for this?
 
By "agglutinate", I mean "stick together"; a thing that talc, cement and flour can do, but sand can not.
 
Okay, thanks Jairo. I always thought that moisture was required for that, but I've never studied it so that's just an impression that I had.
 

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