Whats the difference between minerals being silicates or non-silicates?
Since there are so many minerals on the earth they have been divided and sub divided to make them easier to identify. The first division is determining whether your mineral is of the Silicate group or the Non-Silicate group. Silicate minerals have silicone and oxygen in their composition. More specifically a silica tetrahedron makes up their internal structure. There are four types of structures that center on a silica tetrahedron in silicate minerals. They are single chain, double chained, sheet, and 3-D framework. Further more silicate minerals can be broken down into Light silicates and Dark silicates. Every other mineral that does not have a silica tetrahedron in its structure is placed as a Non-Silicate. There are six sub groups of non-silicates they are; Carbonates, Oxides, Sulfides, Sulfates, Halides, and Native metals. What are the steps to follow in identifying minerals? Step 1: Determine what group of minerals, silicates or non-silicates, your mineral belongs to. Step 2: Usin
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