Silicate Minerals Quiz

What is the building block of the vast majority of minerals that make up the rocks of Earth’s crust?

• Oxygen tetrahedron

• Carbon tetrahedron

• Nitrogen tetrahedron

• Silica tetrahedron

In which mineral are the silica tetrahedra not bonded to each other, but are bonded to the iron and/or magnesium?

• Quartz

• Olivine

• Feldspar

• Mica

What is the net charge of the silica tetrahedron?

• -4

• +4

• -2

• +2

Which silicate mineral has the simplest structure composed of isolated tetrahedra bonded to iron and/or magnesium ions?

• Kyanite

• Garnet

• Olivine

• Zircon

In which silicate mineral are the silica tetrahedra linked together in a single chain?

• Zoisite

• Pyroxene

• Wollastonite

• Epidote

What is the net charge per silicon atom in pyroxene?

• +2

• -2

• +4

• -4

Which silicate mineral has the silica tetrahedra arranged in continuous sheets?

• Clay minerals

• Serpentine

• Micas

• Chlorite

What is the main component of quartz?

• Sodium

• Potassium

• Aluminum

• Silica tetrahedra

Which feldspar mineral contains only sodium?

• Potassium feldspar

• Albite

• Quartz

• Diamond

What is the range of compositions between albite and anorthite in plagioclase feldspar called?

• Oligoclase

• Intermediate-composition

• Coupled-substitution

• Solid solution series