Final answer:
The most abundant group of minerals in the Earth's crust is the silicates, making up about 90% of the crust, primarily in the form of minerals like quartz. The diversity and abundance are due to the various ways silicon-oxygen tetrahedra can combine with different cations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The group of minerals that are the most abundant in the Earth's crust are the silicates. These minerals are composed of silicon and oxygen in the form of the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron, which forms a variety of structures. With approximately 90% of the Earth's crust made up of silicates, they surpass other mineral groups such as oxides, sulfides, and carbonates in abundance.
Quartz, a crystalline form of silicon dioxide (SiO2), is one of the most common and recognizable silicate minerals found in the Earth's crust. The vast number of silicate minerals is due to the way in which silicon-oxygen tetrahedra can bond together in different configurations, along with the inclusion of various cations.
The high abundance of silicate minerals is also observed in celestial bodies such as S-type asteroids, indicating the significance of silicates not just on Earth but throughout the solar system.