Charge development on a freshly cleaved muscovite mica (FCM) surface when immersed in various solutions was recorded by measuring its zeta potential with a rotating disk. A transient response of zeta potential value was observed after immersion in solution. The zeta potential was recorded as early as 15 seconds after immersion and out to times as long as 3 hours. The response depended on the composition of the solution; e.g 1mM KCl exhibited a change of less than or equal to 10 mV, while 1mM NaCl exhibited a larger changes. The transient measurements demonstrated the sensitivity of mica's zeta potential to the pH and concentration of sodium or potassium cations. A theoretical kinetic model was developed that cast the charging process in terms of surface reactions between the solid and cations at the Outer Helmholtz Plane, the parameters of which were estimated by fitting to experimental data. The model was used as a tool to probe mica's response at times that are not experimentally accessible. Muscovite mica assumes a reproducible zeta potential in 1 mM KCl minutes after cleaving and exposure to the solution, and perhaps could be proposed as a standard for zeta potential measurement on planar surfaces.