What are Silicate Minerals?
Silicates: The Building Blocks of the Earth's Crust
The silicate group of minerals is the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals.
Understanding their structure enables geologists to identify and classify almost all rocks on Earth because silicates contain the most common minerals.
Silicates, which make up the majority of Earth's crust, are composed of silicon and oxygen atoms arranged in a pattern called a silicate tetrahedron. These tetrahedrons are the fundamental building blocks of silicate minerals and can be arranged in various ways to form different types of minerals.
Some of the most common silicate minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica and olivine.
Silicates tend to be hard and durable, which makes them particularly useful for construction materials such as bricks and concrete. They're also used in the production of glass and ceramics.
The chemical bonds that hold silicate minerals together are very strong so are not easily broken by external factors. For this reason, these minerals are fairly resistant to chemical weathering, allowing them to endure harsh environmental conditions over long periods.
Silicates can be found in many different types of rock, including granite, sandstone and basalt, as well as in many types of soil. Their abundance and versatility make them a cornerstone of both geology and industry.
Article Photo
The photo at the top of our article is the silicate mineral eudialyte. Courtesy of Ron Wolf. The photo is clickable and redirects to the original image.
Pop-up photos: Quartz - Courtesy of Lawrence Violett. The mica is from our collection. Olivine - Courtesy of Stan Celestian. Sandstone - Courtesy of James St.John.
