tridymite
English
Etymology
The name refers to the peculiar habit of crystallizing in groups of three individuals.
Noun
tridymite (countable and uncountable, plural tridymites)
- (mineralogy) A rare mineral of volcanic rocks that solidified at a high temperature, with the chemical composition silicon dioxide, SiO2. Tridymite is chemically identical to quartz, but has a different crystal structure. Sometimes contains sodium aluminum silicate, which seems to be expelled when quartz solidifies at lower temperatures.
Related terms
- See silicate, silica group
Translations
Further reading
- “Tridymite” in David Barthelmy, Webmineral Mineralogy Database, 1997–.
- “tridymite”, in Mindat.org, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed 29 August 2016.
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