(from Turkish kil, “clay”), the name of a bentonitic clay found in the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Crimea (near Simferopol’ and in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai). Kil has high adsorption; it was used for making soap that would lather in seawater. Kil formed as a result of the subaqueous decomposition (halmyrolysis) of volcanic ash layers.