Which elements are primarily combined to form silicate minerals?

Which elements are primarily combined to form silicate minerals?

• A. Silicon and Oxygen
• B. Iron and Nickel
• C. Calcium and Carbon
• D. Hydrogen and Helium

Answer: (A)

Silicate minerals are built from silicon–oxygen units called silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, SiO4, which link together with various cations to form a huge family of minerals. The essential pairing is silicon and oxygen, because the SiO4 tetrahedron is the defining building block of all silicates. The other elements listed don’t define silicates: iron and nickel are primarily metallic elements (found in metallic minerals or other mineral groups), calcium and carbon form carbonates rather than silicates, and hydrogen and helium are gases that don’t form solid crustal minerals. So silicon and oxygen are the primary elements that make up silicate minerals.