Duanni (段泥) Ore and Clay

Overview

Duanni (段泥) is a category of zisha ores and their resulting clays formed from mixed deposits of other zisha material; this formation renders duanni unique in contrast to all other zisha clays, formed from distinct materials in a specific stratum. Duanni forms from a paragenesis[1], a natural mineral intergrowth and blending, of any two or more zisha clay material deposits undergoing chemical weathering together. Duanni is most often formed from a paragenesis of luni and zini, less often formed from a paragenesis of luni and hongni, and rarely formed from a paragenesis of luni and zhuni[2]; duanni often, though not always, contains remnants of baini material within the weathered ore.

Duanni is thus a category of zisha ore and clay composed of many unique variations formed from various blends of other zisha material – not a single ore formed from the weathering of a distinct sedimentary material. Depending on the specific paragenesis of materials, duanni can have drastically different textural, color, and other material attributes with little consistency across mine-site and sub-category of ore. The various natural parageneses yield a diverse range of duanni clay, which, as a class, do not all similarly interact with tea; such that teapots made from different duanni clays uniquely interact with each class of tea.