625-102 GEOLOGY

Lecture 3

Silicate Mineralogy

Melbourne EarthEarth
Sciences
Materials

Anion groupings

Minerals are classified according to their chemistry

(ie not symmetry, hardness or any other physical property)

They are grouped according to their anions

Why?
because minerals rarely contain more than one of these,
whereas they often contain several different cations

Minerals are classified into 8 major groups

Earth Materials

Classification of Minerals

Native elements
Sulphides
Halides
Oxides
Carbonates
Sulfates
Phosphates
Silicates

- no anions
- S2- anions, with variations
- halogens (Cl, F; rarely Br, I)
- O2- anions (& hydroxides)
- CO32- etc. polyanionic gps
- SO42- groups with variations
- PO43- with variations
-SiO44- with structural variations

Earth Materials

Native Elements

Native Sulphur, Italy

Native Silver, Germany

Earth Materials

Sulphides

Galena, PbS

Marcasite, FeS2

Earth Materials

Halides and Oxides

Fluorite, CaF2

Magnetite, Fe3O4

Earth Materials

Carbonates

Calcite, CaCO3

Malachite, Cu2[(OH)2/CO3])

Earth Materials

Sulphates, Phosphates

Gypsum, CaSO4.2H2O

Apatite, CaPO4

Earth Materials

Silicates

Olivine, (Fe,Mg)2SiO4

Quartz, SiO2

Earth Materials

Silicate Minerals

Most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust

Make up 95% of the Earths crust

Made up of tetrahedral SiO 4 anion groups

Polymerised into compound groups by

sharing adjacent oxygen ions

Linked by various cations, esp.

Fe2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Na+

Aluminium (Al3+ ) can substitute for silicon ions

Result in complex chemical compositions

Earth Materials

The Basic Silicate Unit

Unit behaves as a compound anion

Cation radius = 0.41 , Anion Radius = 1.40
Radius ratio = 0.29, therefore 4-fold Coordination
Overall charge of - 4
one negative charge for each oxygen

SiO4 Tetrahedra

Earth Materials

Arrangements of silicate groups

Silicate groups may exist as isolated tetrahedra

joined by cations eg Olivine
or joined in more complex polymerised groups
Tetrahedra may be arranged as
Simple groups
Rings
Single chains
Double chains
Sheets
Frameworks

3-01

Earth Materials

Simple SiO4 groups

Silicate groups are isolated from each other

May be individual or simple polymerised groups

Individual SiO4 tetrahedra are linked by cations

Closely packed, high density structures

eg Olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and Zircon ZrSiO4, Beryl

3-02

Earth Materials

Single Chain Structures

Each silicate tetrahedron shares two oxygens

Tetrahedra joined into a continuous chain

Chains are linked with each other by cations

e.g. the Pyroxene group of minerals

Diopside:
CaMg(Si2O6)
Augite:
Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6
Hypersthene: MgFe(Si2O6)

3-03

Earth Materials

Double Chain Structures

Tetrahedra linked into a double chain

Each SiO4 tetrahedron shares 2 or 3 oxygens

Chains are linked with each other by cations

e.g. the Amphibole group of minerals

3-04

Earth Materials

Sheet Silicates
3-05

Continuous layer of linked SiO4 groups

Each SiO4 tetrahedron shares three oxygens

Layers are stacked and linked together by cations

Have strong cleavage, generally soft minerals

e.g. the Mica and Clay minerals etc.

Earth Materials

Stacking Silicate Sheets

The tetrahedral layers can be stacked together in

several different ways, e.g.:
Clays

Micas

Earth Materials

Framework Silicates

Interlocking framework of SiO4 tetrahedra

Each SiO4 tetrahedron shares all four oxygens

Basic formula unit is SiO2

e.g.: Quartz SiO2

Feldspars (note role of Al substitution):

Orthoclase: KAlSi3O8
Albite:
NaAlSi3O8
Anorthite: CaAl2Si2O8

3-05

Earth Materials

Feldspar Compositions
K
Potassium Feldspars

No Feldspars occur

Na

Plagioclase Feldspars

Ca
Earth Materials

REFERENCES

Hamblin & Christiansen, Chapter 3, p.64-72

Skinner and Porter, Chapter 3, p. 53-59

Clark and Cook, Chapter 6b, p. 116-122

Earth Materials