Question

The largest and most important mineral family consists of the ________?

1) bromides
2) sulfides
3) halides
4) oxides
5) silicates

Answer 1

The largest and most important mineral family is the silicates, which make up approximately 30% of all minerals and 90% of the Earth's crust. Silicates are composed of silicon and oxygen and have a unique atomic structure with silicon atoms at the centers of tetrahedra and oxygen at the corners.

Step-by-step explanation:

The largest and most important mineral family consists of the silicates. Approximately 30% of all minerals are silicates and some geologists estimate that 90% of the Earth's crust is made up of silicates, SiO4 based material. Silicates are salts containing anions composed of silicon and oxygen. In nearly all silicates, sp³-hybridized silicon atoms occur at the centers of tetrahedra with oxygen at the corners.