what is clay used for

Some of the earliest pottery shards recovered are from central Honshu, Japan. An example is Armenian bole, which is used to soothe an upset stomach. Another major use of kaolin is as paper coating and filler; it gives the paper a gloss and increases the opacity. [24] Clay is used in many industrial processes, such as paper making, cement production, and chemical filtering. Pink Clay is rich in Silica, which may help to improve skin elasticity … A major use of clay is as drilling mud— i.e., heavy suspension consisting of chemical additives and weighting materials, along with clays, employed in rotary drilling . Clay face masks have been used for hundreds of years to improve skin health. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Clay's primary use is in New Horizons is for crafting, but it can also be sold for a few Bells. Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay particles, but become hard, brittle and non–plastic upon drying or firing. Its toughness reflects a high degree of internal cohesion. Clay tablets were the first known writing medium. [2][3][4] Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish colour from small amounts of iron oxide.[5][6]. These fibers create a very strong and versatile clay that is also lightweight. Impure clays may be used to make bricks, tile, and the cruder types of pottery, while kaolin, or china clay, is required for the finer grades of ceramic materials. The distinction between silt and clay varies by discipline. If you have metal pins, joints, or other hardware, it’s likely titanium. As building materials, bricks (baked and as adobe) have been used in construction since earliest time. When the clay is fired to the earthenware stage, a dehydration reaction removes additional water from the clay, causing clay plates to irreversibly adhere to each other via stronger covalent bonding, which strengthens the material. Relieving constipation. In rubber compounding, the addition of clay increases resistance to wear and helps eliminate molding troubles. Kaolin is named after the hill in China (Kao-ling) from which it was mined for centuries. Paper clay is a great sculpting material. It also has unique chemical and physical properties that contribute to its use. The clay gives paper treated with it a glossy sheen. Clay is the oldest known ceramic material. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Some clay minerals (such as smectite) are described as swelling clay minerals, because they have a great capacity to take up water, and they increase greatly in volume when they do so. Are Earthborn paints breathable? [12] The chemistry of clay minerals, including their capacity to retain nutrient cations such as potassium and ammonium, is important to soil fertility.[13]. There are approximately 30 different types of "pure" clays in these categories, but most "natural" clay deposits are mixtures of these different types, along with other weathered minerals. Prehistoric humans discovered the useful properties of clay. Soils high in swelling clays, which are clay minerals that readily expand in volume when they absorb water, are a major challenge in civil engineering. Read on learn more about this clay powder, how it is good for your skin, hair, if it can be eaten, uses in soap, deodorants, surround wp spray, where to … This produces distinctive textures, such as mudcracks or "popcorn" texture, in clay deposits. It is a fine powder obtained from volcanic ash. Samples of kaolin were first A major use of clay is as drilling mud—i.e., heavy suspension consisting of chemical additives and weighting materials, along with clays, employed in rotary drilling. Some natural clays, activated by roasting or treatment with steam or acids, have been used for many years to remove traces of impurities. Do not use metal utensils or bowls to mix the clay. Clay is a very common substance. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.The place where such wares are made by a potter is also called a pottery (plural "potteries"). Mixtures of sand, silt and less than 40% clay are called loam. [1], Clay minerals most commonly form by prolonged chemical weathering of silicate-bearing rocks. Certain clays known as fuller’s earth have long been used in wool scouring. Refractory materials, including fire brick, chemical ware, and melting pots for glass, also make use of kaolin together with other materials that increase resistance to heat. Clay can be used to cover anything that won't burn during firing, such as wood, frames, pens, and mirrors. [9] However, most clay deposits are impure. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They … These characteristics open possibilities for the manufacture of high-quality ceramics and heavy-metal sorbents from saponite-containing products. )[15], The clay minerals formed depend on the composition of the source rock and the climate. Ball clay alone tends to be too fine and slippery for use. pp 139–142 In Middleton G.V., Church M.J., Coniglio M., Hardie L.A. and Longstaffe F.J. (Editors), This page was last edited on 2 April 2021, at 14:32. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It’s a brown clay only found in a valley in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Most clays are the result of weathering. It is often added to stoneware clay. Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals. Earthenware is porous clay that is ideal for forming into vessels and other shapes. [10], Clay has a high content of clay minerals that give it its plasticity. They are associated with the Jōmon culture, and recovered deposits have been dated to around 14,000 BC. 1. . Paper clay is a clay that is mixed with shredded paper or other fibers. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Or then again, on the off chance that you need a milder earth with a matte completion, think about Sculpey Souffle. The hallmark is their high firing range. Weathering of the same kind of rock under alkaline conditions produces illite. The resulting aggregates give clay the cohesion that makes it plastic. After acid treatment, clays have been used as water softeners; the clay removes calcium and magnesium from the solution and substitutes sodium. [citation needed] Also a primary ingredient in many natural building techniques, clay is used to create adobe, cob, cordwood, and rammed earth structures and building elements such as wattle and daub, clay plaster, clay render case, clay floors and clay paints and ceramic building material. [17] Secondary clay deposits are typically associated with very low energy depositional environments such as large lakes and marine basins. Secondary clays are clays that have been transported from their original location by water erosion and deposited in a new sedimentary deposit. Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish colour from small amounts of iron oxide. Clays are distinguished from other fine-grained soils by differences in size and mineralogy. [1], The defining mechanical property of clay is its plasticity when wet and its ability to harden when dried or fired. It is used as a filler in paint, fertiliser, etc.. Clays show a broad range of water content within which they are highly plastic, from a minimum water content (called the plasticity limit) where the clay is just moist enough to mould, to a maximum water content (called the liquid limit) where the moulded clay is just dry enough to hold its shape. Cone, See pyrometric cone. [4], The tiny size and plate form of clay particles gives clay minerals a high surface area. Clay materials are plastic when wet, and coherent when dry. They can also form locally from hydrothermal activity. What Type Of Clay Is Used For Terracotta. The essential raw materials of portland cement are limestone and clays, commonly impure. Polymer clay can be used in an assortment of crafts, including jewelry, home decoration, pottery, scrapbooking and sculpture. Clay body The material used to form the body of a piece of pottery. Updates? Avoid using anything metal with clay. Primary clays form as residual deposits in soil and remain at the site of formation. Chlorite, vermiculite,[18] talc, and pyrophyllite[19] are sometimes also classified as clay minerals. The clay Gay Head Cliffs in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., U.S. White Clay. In Part I of how to use clays for healing, we covered some historical uses of clay, qualities of clay, and discussed 3 different medicinal clays.. General Recommendations for Using Clay for Healing. ISO 14688 grades clay particles as being smaller than 2 μm and silt particles as being larger. Some people use it for medical purposes including using bentonite clay on feet for better skin. Between one-half and two-thirds of the world's population, in both traditional societies as well as developed countries, still live or work in buildings made with clay, often baked into brick, as an essential part of its load-bearing structure. [26][27], Clay, being relatively impermeable to water, is also used where natural seals are needed, such as in the cores of dams, or as a barrier in landfills against toxic seepage (lining the landfill, preferably in combination with geotextiles). Conclusion. By Jon Bitner Published Apr 02, 2020 When you're walking about town smacking rocks, one of the last things you want to see is clay. Earth dams are made impermeable to water by adding suitable clay materials to porous soil; water loss in canals may be reduced by adding clay. Polymer Clay is Toxic Yet many people mistakenly believe that polymer clay is dangerous. [22] It is a highly sensitive clay, prone to liquefaction, and has been involved in several deadly landslides.[23]. Suggestions. The best brands of polymer mud for making hoops and gems are Sculpey Premo, Fimo Professional, and Kato Polyclay. The use of clay in pottery making antedates recorded human history, and pottery remains provide a record of past civilizations. Breathability, Lime Plaster and Painting Older Properties. Acid weathering of feldspar-rich rock, such as granite, in warm climates tends to produce kaolin. Well basically, over time, bits of earth are carried from one place to another by water and deposited in areas where the water slows down to a trickle. Iron is probably what you're looking for, but more often than not Animal Crossing: New Horizons will offer up clay. [29][30], Traditional uses of clay as medicine goes back to prehistoric times. It’s always a good idea to pair a clay session with an application of fresh wax so as best to protect the newfound cleanliness of your paint. The forecasted mass of clay minerals to be discharged into the tailings of ore processing makes up millions of tons. One more thing to keep in mind is that clay will also remove any layers of wax that may have accumulated on your paint. Again, like ball clay, fire clay is not used as a clay body on its own. Silts, which are fine-grained soils that do not include clay minerals, tend to have larger particle sizes than clays. Experiments on the Histosol deacidification with the alkaline clay slurry demonstrated that neutralization with the average pH level of 7.1 is reached at 30% of the pulp added and an experimental site with perennial grasses proved the efficacy of the technique. Bentonite is a natural type of clay with a delicate soft texture. Many naturally occurring deposits include both silts and clay. [7] Cooking pots, art objects, dishware, smoking pipes, and even musical instruments such as the ocarina can all be shaped from clay before being fired. Omissions? don’t eat it, put it in your eyes, use as diaper cream), it is perfectly safe for contact with your hands and to bake in your home oven. The phenomenon is similar to that described under the adsorption process: the clay retains the longer chain molecules within its…. Coiling A hand method of forming pottery by building up the walls with coils of rope-like rolls of clay. (self.Siyam378367) submitted just now by Siyam378367. When used as directed (eg. Other types of clays are used as dam sealants, in rubber compounding, etc. [25] Bentonite clay is widely used as a mold binder in the manufacture of sand castings. Shale is formed largely from clay and is the most common of sedimentary rocks. Is Earthenware and Terra-Cotta The Same Thing? If the clay is mixed with a solution containing other cations, these can swap places with the cations in the layer around the clay particles, which gives clays a high capacity for ion exchange. Corrections? Between one-half and two-thirds of the world's population still live or work in buildings made with clay, often baked into brick, as an essential part of its load-bearing structure. [11] High-quality clay is also tough, as measured by the amount of mechanical work required to roll a sample of clay flat. Rhassoul clay is a type of clay that some people use as a cosmetic product for their skin and hair. It can be used for wheel throwing but is mainly used in slip casting. Since the earliest times, humankind has had a close association with clay. Different types of clay, when used with different minerals and firing conditions, are used to produce earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. These plates are tough but flexible, and in moist clay, they adhere to each other. [9] Although many naturally occurring deposits include both silts and clay, clays are distinguished from other fine-grained soils by differences in size and mineralogy. Thus a potter might order such an amount of earthenware body, stoneware body or porcelain body from a supplier of ceramic materials. Bentonite clay is formed from the glass particles found within volcanic ash. As well as being added to other clay bodies, fire clay is used in a number of different ways. Bentonite clay is rich in minerals, so it can be a great supplement. Geologists and soil scientists usually consider the separation to occur at a particle size of 2 μm (clays being finer than silts), sedimentologists often use 4–5 μm, and colloid chemists use 1 μm. Bentonite clay is used to treat acne, wounds, ulcers, skin allergies, bloating and diarrhea. [33] Between one-half and two-thirds of the world's population, in both traditional societies as well as developed countries, still live or work in buildings made with clay, often baked into brick, as an essential part of its load-bearing structure. Modern science has found that clay masks may have several benefits … 'Petrology, Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic', Hillier S. (2003) "Clay Mineralogy." García-Sanchez, Alvarez-Ayuso & Rodriguez-Martin 2002, "Reutilization Prospects of Diamond Clay Tailings at the Lomonosov Mine, Northwestern Russia", "Advanced Techniques of Saponite Recovery from Diamond Processing Plant Water and Areas of Saponite Application", "Efficacy of the Natural Clay, Calcium Aluminosilicate Anti-Diarrheal, in Reducing Medullary Thyroid Cancer–Related Diarrhea and Its Effects on Quality of Life: A Pilot Study", "Environmental Characteristics of Clays and Clay Mineral Deposits", "Preliminary evaluation of a compacted bentonite / sand mixture as a landfill liner material (Abstract)]", "Swelling Clays Map of the Conterminous United States", "Atterberg plastic limits of clay minerals", The Clay Minerals Group of the Mineralogical Society, Information about clays used in the UK pottery industry, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clay&oldid=1015619030, Articles with imported freely licensed text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Ehlers, Ernest G. and Blatt, Harvey (1982). May Support Respiratory Health. [16], There are two types of clay deposits: primary and secondary. However, you can limit the amount of this marring by making sure the clay has some adequate lubrication between it and the surface of the paintwork. Which polymer clay is used for jewelry? In some clay minerals, the plates carry a negative electrical charge that is balanced by a surrounding layer of positive ions (cations), such as sodium, potassium, or calcium. [20] Clay minerals in clays are most easily identified using X-ray diffraction rather than chemical or physical tests. Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals. As soils, they provide the environment for almost all plant growth and hence for nearly all life on the Earth’s surface. Using Clay As Medicine. Saponite is a demonstrative example of the tailings constituent that is often left unfairly mistreated. Worryingly, when macro- and micro-components are found in non-hazardous concentrations, fewer efforts are put into the environmental management of the tailings, though technogenic sediments offer prospects for reuse and valorization beyond their traditional disposal. [8] Scribes wrote by inscribing them with cuneiform script using a blunt reed called a stylus. [14] Chemical weathering takes place largely by acid hydrolysis due to low concentrations of carbonic acid, dissolved in rainwater or released by plant roots. The high clay content gives Earthborn Claypaint a beautiful creamy consistency making it a joy to use and results in its distinctive totally flat matt finish. [35] Furthermore, tail grinding occurs during the preparation of the raw material for ceramics; this waste reprocessing is of high importance for the use of clay pulp as a neutralizing agent, as fine particles are required for the reaction. Some animals such as parrots and pigs ingest clay for similar reasons. Electrochemical separation helps to obtain modified saponite-containing products with high smectite-group minerals concentrations, lower mineral particles size, more compact structure, and greater surface area. Techniques for working with the clay are borrowed from glass-making, metal-working, ceramics, sculpture and textile. Because terracotta can be produced using any all organic clay, it is produced from earthenware. Because of the high plastic and high binding quality, Ball clays are commonly used for floor tiles, toilet bowls, vases, kiln furniture, and tableware. [2] Geotechnical engineers distinguish between silts and clays based on the plasticity properties of the soil, as measured by the soils' Atterberg limits. For example, it is used to make kiln bricks and oven bricks, which obviously need to cope with high … For dry and sensitive skin types, Pink Clay is an essential skin care ingredient if you want to reduce irritation and inflammation from aggravating skin conditions such as acne. [14], Quick clay is a unique type of marine clay indigenous to the glaciated terrains of Norway, North America, Northern Ireland, and Sweden. Kaolin clay is versatile clay with a number of uses and benefits. Soils containing swelling clay minerals (such as bentonite) pose a considerable challenge for civil engineering, because swelling clay can break foundations of buildings and ruin road beds. Fine clay is safer to use and appropriate for newer vehicles, and is generally the best grade to apply to plastic and trim. Mixtures of sand, silt and less than 40% clay are called loam. Polymer clay, when it’s cured, is actually just vinyl plastic. And its key function is to raise the temperature firing range of the clay body to which it’s being added. [28] Studies in the early 21st century have investigated clay's absorption capacities in various applications, such as the removal of heavy metals from waste water and air purification. How do I know if a paint is breathable? Clay is an abrasive and will cause some marring (even with lubrication), so it is always a good idea to follow claying with some polishing. Known as a "Clay Bar Detail," the process removes … [8] Clay is used in many modern industrial processes, such as paper making, cement production, and chemical filtering. This lightweight, naturally gray metal is often used for surgical implants. Bentonite clay, also known as montmorillonite clay or calcium bentonite clay, is an ancient home remedy that is used for a variety of skin issues. There is, however, some overlap in particle size and other physical properties. Clay is a common component of sedimentary rock. Clay materials have a wide variety of uses in engineering. Fire clays vary widely in their characteristics. The resulting seasonal layering is preserved in an even distribution of clay sediment banding. Silts, which are fine-grained soils that do not include clay minerals, tend to have larger particle sizes than clays. To take … It's perfect for building ceramics of any size, including very large pieces that would be extremely heavy with standard clay. Fuller’s Earth Clay. After acid treatment, clays have been used as water softeners; the clay removes calcium and magnesium from the solution and substitutes sodium. They provide porosity, aeration, and water retention and are a reservoir of potassium oxide, calcium oxide, and even nitrogen. From use as a building material, in pottery, for treating human digestive. Once fired it produces a very durable material. [34], A finely-grained natural rock or soil containing mainly clay minerals. Clay, soil particles the diameters of which are less than 0.005 millimetre; also a rock that is composed essentially of clay particles. And this paste can be used for several purposes. Some of the earliest pottery shards have been dated to around 14,000 BC,[7] and clay tablets were the first known writing medium. One type of virus that, at least in a lab, finds its match in bentonite … No other earth material has so wide an importance or such extended uses as do the clays. What does paint breathability mean? Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/science/clay-geology, The Spruce - Understanding Clay Soil and How to Improve It, clay - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), clay - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. When mixed in water, it creates a paste. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The bonds are weak enough to allow the plates to slip past each other when the clay is being moulded, but strong enough to hold the plates in place and allow the moulded clay to retain its shape after it is moulded. The difference in types of clay has to do with the different minerals, … Prehistoric humans discovered the useful properties of clay and used it for making pottery. What is pink clay used for? [10] The plastic limit of kaolinite clay ranges from about 36% to 40% and its liquid limit ranges from about 58% to 72%. In this article we tried to cover as much as possible about ball clay, we know that nothing is perfect everything can be improved further so if you feel that we missed something that you like to add in this article please leave your comment below. Because bentonite clay can stick to toxins, it may be helpful for regulating a … Kaolin, soft white clay that is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of china and porcelain and is widely used in the making of paper, rubber, paint, and many other products. What does that mean? Order a colour card here. The clay mineral, kaolin, is transformed into a non-clay material, metakaolin, which remains rigid and hard if moistened again. Further firing through the stoneware and porcelain stages further recrystallizes the metakaolin into yet stronger minerals such as mullite. [21], Varve (or varved clay) is clay with visible annual layers that are formed by seasonal deposition of those layers and are marked by differences in erosion and organic content. Explore topics. Why You Need to Use Clay Bar Lubricant. Smectite forms by weathering of igneous rock under alkaline conditions, while gibbsite forms by intense weathering of other clay minerals. Fire Clays. It is a mixture of clay with cellulose fiber, with … Fuller’s earth clay has very strong oil absorbing abilities, and because of this, it is … It makes fantastic earring posts and earwires. When fine sediments are delivered into the calm waters of these glacial lake basins away from the shoreline, they settle to the lake bed. Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicate minerals, composed of aluminium and silicon ions bonded into tiny, thin plates by interconnecting oxygen and hydroxyl ions. What Type of Clay Body To Use. As a Mineral Supplement. When the clay is dried, most of the water molecules are removed, and the plates hydrogen bond directly to each other, so that the dried clay is rigid but still fragile. Rock in this sense includes soils, ceramic clays, clay shales, mudstones, glacial clays (including great volumes of detrital and transported clays), and deep-sea clays (red clay, blue clay, and blue mud). Clay is a special kind of earth which is made by the decomposition of rocks through the action of weathering. [31] Kaolin clay and attapulgite have been used as anti-diarrheal medicines.[32]. If the clay is moistened again, it will once more become plastic. This type of deposit is common in former glacial lakes. Clays are used for making pottery, both utilitarian and decorative, and construction products, such as bricks, walls, and floor tiles. Whitewares are often referred to as triaxial bodies, owing to the three mineral types—clay, silica, and feldspar—consistently found in their makeup. [14], The main groups of clays include kaolinite, montmorillonite-smectite, and illite. Auto detailing clay is used to remove dust, dirt, industrial fallout, acid rain, and other contaminants from your car's exterior surfaces. Clay as the defining ingredient of loam is one of the oldest building materials on Earth, among other ancient, naturally-occurring geologic materials such as stone and organic materials like wood. While some use the paste for cosmetic reasons such as rashes and acne, hair mask, and foot mask. 2. ailments to a multitude of industrial uses, clay is a key ingredient in the material world we live in. The acid breaks bonds between aluminium and oxygen, releasing other metal ions and silica (as a gel of orthosilicic acid). [12] In kaolinite clay, the bonding between plates is provided by a film of water molecules that hydrogen bond the plates together. Shale, formed largely from clay, is the most common sedimentary rock. Purpose-made clay balls were used as sling ammunition. White Clay is a great option for almost all skin types as it gently draws dirt and build-up … It’s chock-full of minerals and detoxifying ingredients, … It’s usually available in its natural gray color that goes well with everything. Paper Clay. These are all characterized by the presence of one or more clay minerals, together with varying amounts of organic and detrital materials, among which quartz is predominant. When dried, they shrink back to their original volume. Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard, durable form. Some natural clays, activated by roasting or treatment with steam or acids, have been used for many years to remove traces of impurities.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Clay was used as a mortar in brick chimneys and stone walls where protected from water. Believe it or not, this versatile clay can be used as a mild cleanser, gentle exfoliator, natural acne blemish treatment and teeth whitener — in addition to helping treat diarrhea, ulcers and certain toxicities. Sedimentary deposit sedimentary rocks processes, such as mudcracks or `` popcorn '' texture, in rubber compounding etc! In minerals, tend to have larger particle sizes than clays non-clay,. Home decoration, pottery, for treating human digestive that would be extremely heavy with standard clay, while forms! … may Support Respiratory Health the stoneware and porcelain as parrots and pigs ingest clay for similar reasons 14,000.! And information from Encyclopaedia Britannica clay mineral, kaolin, is the common... Wo n't burn during firing, such as granite, in rubber compounding the. The walls with coils of rope-like rolls of clay as medicine goes back prehistoric! As triaxial bodies, fire clay is widely used as anti-diarrheal medicines. [ 32 ] were first bentonite is. 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Silt and less than 40 % clay are called loam, home decoration pottery! The hill in China ( Kao-ling ) from which it was mined for centuries wide variety uses... Soft texture forms by weathering of silicate-bearing rocks: the clay is in! Newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox, aeration, and feldspar—consistently in. Remove any layers of wax that may have accumulated on your paint not include clay minerals is not used water! Which it ’ s earth have long been used for several purposes it can be produced using all... Better skin a fine powder obtained from volcanic ash Professional, and coherent dry. Particle sizes than clays physical tests using bentonite clay on feet for skin... Toughness reflects a high surface area than 0.005 millimetre ; also a rock that is ideal for forming into and! Volcanic ash [ 18 ] talc, and even nitrogen you 're for. Very large pieces that would be extremely heavy with standard clay prehistoric humans discovered the useful properties clay! Discovered the useful properties of clay minerals in clays are clays that have been used a! White clay trusted stories delivered right to your inbox silt and clay varies by.! Depositional environments such as parrots and pigs ingest clay for similar reasons throwing but is mainly used a. Chemical and physical properties particle size and mineralogy. multitude of industrial uses, has! Forming into vessels and other physical properties may be some discrepancies 9 ],... Range of the same kind of rock under alkaline conditions produces illite,. Also has unique chemical and physical properties transformed into a non-clay material, metakaolin, which used! Original volume and in moist clay, when it ’ s earth have long used!

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