Island Silicates

(thing) by Kawika Sun Jun 24 2001 at 9:36:53
With Island Silicates (also known as Sorosilicates), all of the corners of the silicon tetrahedra are linked to positively charged ions: thus, there is no direct linking of one tetrahedra to another.

Examples:
Olivine is a typical island silicate. Moderately hard, and has no prominent cleavage (don't laugh, it's a geological term meaning the direction in which a mineral will typically split) because the bonds are of equal strength in all directions.

For more general information, see silicon tetrahedra.

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