GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Silicate minerals are the most common of Earth’s minerals and include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, pyroxene, and olivine. Silica tetrahedra, made up of silicon and oxygen, form chains, sheets, and frameworks, and bond with other cations to form silicate minerals.

Detailed explanation-2: -Feldspars are the most abundant mineral group on Earth and make up nearly 60% of Earth’s crust. Feldspars are used in glassmaking, ceramics, as fillers in paints, and in plastics and rubber. Hematite is the principal ore of iron.

Detailed explanation-3: -The vast majority of the minerals that make up the rocks of Earth’s crust are silicate minerals. These include minerals such as quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, pyroxene, olivine, and a great variety of clay minerals.

Detailed explanation-4: -As we discussed in a previous lecture, the relative abundance of elements in the Earth’s crust determines what minerals will form and what minerals will be common. Because Oxygen and Silicon are the most abundant elements, the silicate minerals are the most common.

Detailed explanation-5: -Framework Silicates Quartz and feldspar are the two most abundant minerals in the continental crust. In fact, feldspar itself is the single most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust.