Kaolin is a soft, white material composed of the clay mineral kaolinite. Kaolin has a hardness of 1 on Moh's Scale of Mineral Hardness (a 1 to 10 scale, with diamond = 10).  The clay mineral kaolinite lacks visible cleavage, although it is present at a microscopic scale.  It has a low specific gravity, and a dull, earthy luster.

Mining Areas

Kaolin is abundant along the boundary between Georgia's Coastal Plain and Piedmont Provinces. This physiographic boundary is known as the Fall Line, and the world's richest deposits of kaolin occur along this line.