Silicate mineral
A silicate mineral is a mineral that has a combination of the elements silicon and oxygen. In other words, a silicate mineral has one or more silicates. These minerals (especially feldspar) make up about 90% of the Earth's crust.
On Earth, a wide variety of silicate minerals occur in an even wider range of combinations as a result of the processes that form and re-work the crust. These processes include partial melting, crystallization, fractionation, metamorphism, weathering and diagenesis. Living things also contribute to the silicate cycle near the Earth's surface. A type of plankton known as diatoms construct their exoskeletons, known as tests, from silica. The tests of dead diatoms are a major constituent of deep ocean sediment
Silicate Mineral Media
- Spodumene-sd305c.jpg
Lithium aluminium silicate mineral spodumene
- Diatomaceous Earth BrightField.jpg
Diatomaceous earth, a biogenic form of silica as viewed under a microscope. The imaged region measures approximately 1.13 by 0.69 mm.
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Orthosilicate anion SiO4−
4. The grey ball represents the silicon atom, and the red balls are the oxygen atoms. - Nesosilicates exhibit, Museum of Geology, South Dakota.jpg
Nesosilicate specimens at the Museum of Geology in South Dakota
- Kyanite crystals.jpg
Kyanite crystals (unknown scale)
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Pyrosilicate anion Si2O6−
7 
Sorosilicate exhibit at Museum of Geology in South Dakota
Cyclosilicate specimens at the Museum of Geology, South Dakota
Pezzottaite*Locality: Sakavalana mine, Ambatovita, Mandrosonoro area, Ambatofinandrahana District, Ampandramaika-Malakialina Pegmatite Field, Amoron'i Mania Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar (
Bazzite (image width: 2.6 mm mm)*Locality: Fibbia Mountain, Fontana, Central St Gotthard Massif, Leventina, Ticino (Tessin), Switzerland
