Silicate minerals Totally Explained

Everything about The Silicate Minerals totally explained

The silicate minerals make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals. They are classified based on the structure of their silicate ion group. Silicate minerals all contain silicon and oxygen.

Subclasses:

Nesosilicates or Isosilicates

Nesosilicates (or orthosilicates) have isolated [SiO₄]⁴⁻ tetrahedra that are connected only by interstitial cations.

Phenacite group
- Phenacite - Be₂SiO₄
- Willemite - Zn₂SiO₄
Olivine group
- Forsterite - Mg₂SiO₄
- Fayalite - Fe₂SiO₄
Garnet group
- Pyrope - Mg₃Al₂₃
- Almandine - Fe₃Al₂₃
- Spessartine - Mn₃Al₂₃
- Grossular - Ca₃Al₂₃
- Andradite - Ca₃Fe₂₃
- Uvarovite - Ca₃Cr₂₃
- Hydrogrossular - Ca₃Al₂Si₂O₈(SiO₄)_1-m(OH)_4m
Zircon group
- Zircon - Zr₂SiO₄
- Thorite - (Th,U)₂SiO₄
Al₂SiO₅ group
- Andalusite - Al₂SiO₅
- Kyanite - Al₂SiO₅
- Sillimanite - Al₂SiO₅
- Dumortierite - Al_6.5-7BO₃(SiO₄)₃(O,OH)₃
- Topaz - Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂
- Staurolite - Fe₂Al₉(SiO₄)₄(O,OH)₂
Humite group - (Mg,Fe)₇(SiO₄)₃(F,OH)₂
- Norbergite - Mg₃(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂
- Chondrodite - Mg₅(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂
- Humite - Mg₇(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂
- Clinohumite - Mg₉(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂
Datolite - CaBSiO₄(OH)
Titanite - CaTiSiO₅
Chloritoid - (Fe,Mg,Mn)₂Al₄Si₂O₁₀(OH)₄

Sorosilicates

Sorosilicates have isolated double tetrahedra groups with (Si₂O₇)⁶⁻ or a ratio of 2:7.

Hemimorphite (calamine) - Zn₄(Si₂O₇)(OH)₂·H₂O

Lawsonite - CaAl₂(Si₂O₇)(OH)₂·H₂O

Ilvaite - CaFe²⁺₂Fe³⁺O(Si₂O₇)(OH)

Epidote group (has both (SiO₄)⁴⁻ and (Si₂O₇)⁶⁻ groups)

Epidote - Ca₂(Al,Fe)₃O(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)(OH)
Zoisite - Ca₂Al₃O(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)(OH)
Clinozoisite - Ca₂Al₃O(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)(OH)
Tanzanite - Ca₂Al₃O(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)(OH)
Allanite - Ca(Ce,La,Y,Ca)Al₂(Fe²⁺,Fe³⁺)O(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)(OH)

Vesuvianite (idocrase) - Ca₁₀(Mg,Fe)₂Al₄(SiO₄)₅(Si₂O₇)₂(OH)₄

Cyclosilicates

Cyclosilicates, ring silicates, have linked tetrahedra with (Si_xO_3x)^2x- or a ratio of 1:3. These exists as 3-member (Si₃O₉)^6-, 4-member (Si₄O₁₂)^8- and 6-member (Si₆O₁₈)^12- rings.

3-member ring

Benitoite - BaTi(Si₃O₉)

4-member ring

Axinite - (Ca,Fe,Mn)₃Al₂(BO₃)(Si₄O₁₂)(OH)

6-member ring

Beryl/Emerald - Be₃Al₂(Si₆O₁₈)
Cordierite - (Mg,Fe)₂Al₃(Si₅AlO₁₈)
Tourmaline - (Na,Ca)(Al,Li,Mg)_3-(Al,Fe,Mn)₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₄

Inosilicates

Inosilicates, chain silicates, have interlocking chains of silicate tetrahedra with either SiO₃, 1:3 ratio, for single chains or Si₄O₁₁, 4:11 ratio, for double chains.

Single chain inosilicates

Pyroxene group

Enstatite - orthoferrosilite series
- Enstatite - MgSiO₃
- Ferrosilite - FeSiO₃
Pigeonite - Ca_0.25(Mg,Fe)_1.75Si₂O₆
Diopside - hedenbergite series
- Diopside - CaMgSi₂O₆
- Hedenbergite - CaFeSi₂O₆
- Augite - (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al)(Si,Al)₂O₆
Sodium pyroxene series
- Jadeite - NaAlSi₂O₆
- Aegirine (Acmite) - NaFe³⁺Si₂O₆
Spodumene - LiAlSi₂O₆

Pyroxenoid group

Wollastonite - CaSiO₃
Rhodonite - MnSiO₃
Pectolite - NaCa₂(Si₃O₈)(OH)

Double chain inosilicates

Amphibole group

Anthophyllite - (Mg,Fe)₇Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
Cumingtonite series
- Cummingtonite - Fe₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
- Grunerite - Fe₇Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
Tremolite series
- Tremolite - Ca₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
- ActinoliteCa₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
Hornblende - (Ca,Na)_2-3(Mg,Fe,Al)₅Si₆(Al,Si)₂O₂₂(OH)₂
Sodium amphibole group
- Glaucophane Na₂Mg₃Al₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)
- Riebeckite (asbestos) - Na₂Fe²⁺₃Fe³⁺₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
- Arfvedsonite - Na₃(Fe,Mg)₄FeSi₈O₂₂(OH)₂

Phyllosilicates

Phyllosilicates, sheet silicates (from Greek φύλλον phyllon, leaf), form parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra with Si₂O₅ or a 2:5 ratio.

Serpentine group

Antigorite - Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
Chrysotile - Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
Lizardite - Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄

Clay mineral group

Kaolinite - Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄
Illite - (K,H₃O)(Al,Mg,Fe)₂(Si,Al)₄O₁₀[(OH)₂,(H₂O)]
Smectite -
Montmorillonite - (Na,Ca)_0.33(Al,Mg)₂(Si₄O₁₀)(OH)₂·nH₂O
Vermiculite - (MgFe,Al)₃(Al,Si)₄O₁₀(OH)₂·4H₂O
Talc - Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
Pyrophyllite - Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂

Mica group

Biotite - K(Mg,Fe)₃(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂
Muscovite - KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂
Phlogopite - KMg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
Lepidolite - K(Li,Al)_2-3(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂
Margarite - CaAl₂(Al₂Si₂O₁₀)(OH)₂
Glauconite - (K,Na)(Al,Mg,Fe)₂(Si,Al)₄O₁₀(OH)₂

Chlorite group

Chlorite - (Mg,Fe)₃(Si,Al)₄O₁₀(OH)₂•(Mg,Fe)₃(OH)₆

Tectosilicates

Tectosilicates, or "framework silicates", have a three-dimensional framework of silicate tetrahedra with SiO₂ or a 1:2 ratio. This group comprises nearly 75% of the crust of the Earth. Tectosilicates with the exception of the quartz group are aluminosilicates.

Quartz group

Quartz - SiO₂
Tridymite - SiO₂
Cristobalite - SiO₂

Feldspar group

Alkali-feldspars
- Potassium-feldspars
  - Microcline - KAlSi₃O₈
  - Orthoclase - KAlSi₃O₈
  - Sanidine - KAlSi₃O₈
- Anorthoclase - (Na,K)AlSi₃O₈
- Albite - NaAlSi₃O₈
Plagioclase feldspars
- Albite - NaAlSi₃O₈
- Oligoclase - (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)₄O₈ (Na:Ca 4:1)
- Andesine - (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)₄O₈ (Na:Ca 3:2)
- Labradorite - (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)₄O₈ (Na:Ca 2:3)
- Bytownite - (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)₄O₈ (Na:Ca 1:4)
- Anorthite - CaAl₂Si₂O₈
Feldspathoid group
- Nosean - Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄(SO₄)
- Cancrinite - Na₆Ca₂(CO₃,Al₆Si₆O₂₄).2H₂O
- Leucite - KAlSi₂O₆
- Nepheline - (Na,K)AlSiO₄
- Sodalite - Na₈(AlSiO₄)₆Cl₂
  - Hauyne - (Na,Ca)_4-8Al₆Si₆(O,S)24(SO₄,Cl)_1-2
- Lazurite - (Na,Ca)₈(AlSiO₄)₆(SO₄,S,Cl)₂
Petalite - LiAlSi₄O₁₀
Scapolite group
- Marialite - Na₄(AlSi₃O₈)₃(Cl₂,CO₃,SO₄)
- Meionite - Ca₄(Al₂Si₂O₈)₃(Cl₂CO₃,SO₄)
Analcime - NaAlSi₂O₆•H₂O
Zeolite group
- Natrolite - Na₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀•2H₂O
- Chabazite - CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂•6H₂O
- Heulandite - CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈•6H₂O
- Stilbite - NaCa₂Al₅Si₁₃O₃₆•17H₂O

References

Further Information

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