6: Igneous Rocks and Silicate Minerals
- Page ID
- 17515
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KEY CONCEPTS
- Igneous minerals crystallize from a magma to form igneous rocks.
- Magmas have variable compositions giving rise to many different kinds of rocks containing different minerals.
- Cooling rate affects crystal size and rock texture.
- Minerals crystallize in an orderly and predicable way during magma cooling.
- Silicates are the most important minerals in igneous rocks.
- We classify silicates based on the arrangement and ordering of SiO4 tetrahedra within them.
- Different silicate minerals have distinctive properties, atomic arrangements, and origins.