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- SPINEL. MgAl2O4
-
- This shows the Mg tetrahedra (red) and Al octahedra (blue). Orthographic
- viewing is on, perspective is off. Boundary option is chosen forms, but the
- faces are those of a cube and the limits are only slightly larger than the
- unit cell, so what is shown is essentially the polyhedra in a unit cell
- (although some of the polyhedra are completed in adjacent cells).
-
- The six-membered ring of octahedra defines the planes of cubic-closest-packed
- oxygens. Note that the tetrahedra alternate with vacancies in the [110]
- directions; these are probable diffusion pathways.
-
- LIZARDite. Mg3Si2O5(OH)4
-
- Perspective view down the a axis (parallel to the sheets); many unit cells are
- shown.
-
- Silicate tetrahedra (yellow) are linked into sheets, with hydroxyls (cyan) at
- the level of the apical oxygens in the center of the six-membered rings within
- the sheets. A layer of hydroxyls added forms octahedral sites, which are
- occupied by magnesium (red). Mg-O bonds are blue. The silicate/magnesium-
- hydroxide layers are bonded together with hydrogen bonds (cyan).
-
- Kaolinite, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, has essentially the same structure, with Al
- occupying only two-thirds of the Mg sites; lizardite is trioctahedral and
- kaolinite is dioctahedral. There are many ways to stack the layers in both.
- In other types of serpentine (antigorite and chrysotile) which have the same
- composition as lizardite, the layers are rolled or twisted to various degrees.
-
- DIOPSIDE. CaMgSi2O6
-
- Perspective view (rather short perspective distance) approximately down the c
- axis; the b axis is horizontal.
-
- Single silicate chains (yellow) are in two orientations, with apices facing up
- and down. Mg atoms are coordinates only by apical non-bridging oxygens,
- whereas Ca atoms are more toward the "backs" of the chains are are coordinated
- by some bridging oxygens.
-
- TOURMALINE. NaMgAl6(BO3)2(Si6O18)(OH)4
-
- Non-perspective view down the c axis. The boundary faces used {2-1-10} and {-
- 2110} are used for structural reasons: the usual trigonal prism is {10-10}.
-
- Six-membered silicate rings Na (magenta) Mg (red) Al (brown) OH (cyan) with H
- dark gray,
-
- Unlike beryl and cordierite, the silicate rings are not linked; borate
- triangles (green) link only octahedra
-
-