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Silicate identification and geology

The largest and most important group of rock-forming minerals, all built around the SiO₄ tetrahedron as the fundamental structural unit. Silicates are classified by how SiO₄ tetrahedra are linked: nesosilicates isolated , sorosilicates pairs , cyclosilicates rings , inosilicates single or double chains , phyllosilicates sheets , and tectosilicates 3D frameworks . Silicates constitute approximately 90% of the Earth's crust by volume. Field: mineralogy. Example: The structural classification of silicates directly controls their physical properties—sheet silicates micas have perfect basal cleavage along their sheets, while framework silicates quartz have no cleavage because their bonding is equally strong in all directions.. Related terms: Quartz, Feldspar, Olivine, SiO₄ tetrahedron.

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  • Quartz
  • Feldspar
  • Olivine

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.096023+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Silicate mean in geology?
The largest and most important group of rock-forming minerals, all built around the SiO₄ tetrahedron as the fundamental structural unit. Silicates are classified by how SiO₄ tetrahedra are linked: nesosilicates isolated , sorosilicates pairs , cyclosilicates rings , inosilicates single or double chains , phyllosilicates sheets , and tectosilicates 3D frameworks . Silicates constitute approximately 90% of the Earth's crust by volume.
What is an example of Silicate?
The structural classification of silicates directly controls their physical properties—sheet silicates micas have perfect basal cleavage along their sheets, while framework silicates quartz have no cleavage because their bonding is equally strong in all directions.
Which earth-science field uses the term Silicate?
Silicate is used in mineralogy.
Which terms are related to Silicate?
Related terms in this reference are Quartz, Feldspar, Olivine, SiO₄ tetrahedron.

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