Objectives for the topic: Systematic Mineralogy-Sheet Silicates

Reading: See syllabus

Images to understand: See syllabus

After completing this topic, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the tetrahedral-cation-to-oxygen ratio.
2. Distinguish between dioctahedral and trioctahedral sheet silicates, chemically and structurally.
3. Sketch the structure of various sheet silicates, showing all the sites present, and relating it to the cleavage.
4. Identify the stacking schemes for those sheet silicates on the mineral list.
5. Describe the structure of serpentine, and the various ways the serpentine can accommodate the misfit. Link this to the fibrous nature of chrysotile.
6. Describe how "swelling clays" work.
7. Explain the chemistry and structure of micas, and how it relates to their hardness.