Silicate minerals form over 90 percent of Earth's crust, they contain silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). Silicates are further broken down into six categories based on the complexity of their structure. Inosilicates Inosilicates (chain silicates or pyroxenes) are formed by linking tetrahedron structures linearly. These can be in the form of single or double chains. Two important groups of insosilicates are the single chain pyroxenes (ex: spodumene) and the double chain amphiboles (ex: Tremolite).
