The Inosilicate Subclass
(The Chain Structures)
A subclass of the Silicates

The Inosilicates include two distinct groups: the single chain and double chain silicates. In the single chain group the tetrahedrons share two oxygens with two other tetrahedrons and form a seemingly endless chain. The ratio of silicon to oxygen is thus 1:3. The tetrahedrons alternate to the left and then to the right along the line formed by the linked oxygens although more complex chains seem to spiral. In cross section the chain forms a trapezium and this shape produces the angles between the crystal faces and cleavage directions.

In the double chain group, two single chains lie side by side so that all the right sided tetrahedrons of the left chain are linked by an oxygen to the left sided tetrahedrons of the right chain. The extra shared oxygen for every four silicons reduces the ratio of silicons to oxygen to 4:11. The double chain looks like a chain of six sided rings that might remind someone of a child's clover chain. The cross section is similar in the double chains to that of the single chains except the trapezium is longer in the double chains. This difference produces a difference in angles. The cleavage of the two groups results between chains and does not break the chains thus producing prismatic cleavage. In the single chained silicates the two directions of cleavage are at nearly right angles (close to 90 degrees) forming nearly square cross sections. In the double chain silicates the cleavage angle is close to 120 and 60 degrees forming rhombic cross sections making a convenient way to distinguish double chain silicates from single chain silicates.

Below are some of the members of the inosilicates:

Single Chain Inosilicates:

  • Alamosite (Lead Silicate)
  • Batisite (Barium Potassium Sodium Titanium Silicate)
  • Bustamite (Manganese Calcium Silicate)
  • Gageite (Manganese Magnesium Zinc Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Hillebrandite (Calcium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Lorenzenite (Sodium Titanium Silicate)
  • Neptunite (Potassium Sodium Lithium Iron Manganese Titanium Silicate)
  • Okenite (Hydrated Calcium Silicate)
  • Pectolite (Sodium Calcium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • The Pyroxene Group:
      • Clinopyroxenes (monoclinic)
      • Aegirine (Sodium Iron Silicate)
      • Augite (Calcium Sodium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate)
      • Clinoenstatite (Magnesium Silicate)
      • Diopside (Calcium Magnesium Silicate)
      • Esseneite (Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate)
      • Hedenbergite (Calcium Iron Silicate)
      • Hypersthene (Magnesium Iron Silicate)
      • Jadeite (Sodium Aluminum Silicate)
      • Jervisite (Sodium Calcium Iron Scandium Magnesium Silicate)
      • Johannsenite(Calcium Manganese Silicate)
      • Kanoite (Manganese Magnesium Silicate)
      • Kosmochlor (Sodium Chromium Silicate)
      • Namansilite (Sodium Manganese Silicate)
      • Natalyite (Sodium Vanadium Chromium Silicate)
      • Omphacite (Calcium Sodium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate)
      • Petedunnite (Calcium Zinc Manganese Iron Magnesium Silicate)
      • Pigeonite (Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate)
      • Spodumene (Lithium Aluminum Silicate)
      Orthopyroxenes (Orthorhombic)
      • Donpeacorite (Manganese Magnesium Silicate)
      • Enstatite (Magnesium Silicate)
      • Ferrosilite (Iron Magnesium Silicate)
      • Nchwaningite (Hydrated Manganese Silicate)
  • Pyroxferroite (Iron Manganese Calcium Silicate)
  • Pyroxmangite (Manganese Silicate)
  • Rhodonite (Manganese Iron Magnesium Calcium Silicate)
  • Serandite (Sodium Manganese Calcium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Shattuckite (Copper Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Wollastonite (Calcium Silicate)

Double Chain Inosilicates:

  • The Amphibole Group:
      • Cummingtonite Subgroup (Fe-Mg-Li Clinoamphiboles):
      • Clinoferroholmquistite (Lithium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Clinoholmquistite (Lithium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Cummingtonite (Iron Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Dannemorite (Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Grunerite (Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Holmquistite (Lithium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiocummingtonite (Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Sodic-ferri-clinoferroholmquistite (Lithium Iron Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Tirodite (Manganese Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      Anthophyllite Subgroup (Fe-Mg-Li Orthoamphiboles):
      • Anthophyllite (Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferro-anthophyllite (Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrogedrite (Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferroholmquistite (Lithium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Gedrite (Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Protoferro-anthophyllite (Iron Manganese Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Protomangano-ferro-anthophyllite (Manganese Iron Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Sodicanthophyllite (Sodium Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Sodic-ferro-anthophyllite (Sodium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Sodic-ferrogedrite (Sodium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Sodicgedrite (Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      Tremolite Subgroup (Ca Amphiboles):
      • Actinolite (Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Edenite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferro-actinolite (Calcium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferro-edenite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrohornblende (Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrokaersutite (Sodium Calcium Iron Titanium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferropargasite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrotschermakite (Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Fluorocannilloite (Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Fluoride)
      • Hastingsite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Hornblende (Calcium Sodium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Kaersutite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Titanium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiohastingsite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiohornblende (Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiosadanagaite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Pargasite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Potassic-magnesiosadanagaite (Potassium Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Potassicpargasite (Potassium Sodium Calcium Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide Fluoride)
      • Potassicsadanagaite (Potassium Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Tremolite (Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Tschermakite (Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      Richterite Subgroup (Ca-Na Clinoamphiboles):
      • Barroisite (Calcium Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrobarroisite (Calcium Sodium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrorichterite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferrowinchite (Calcium Sodium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Fluorrichterite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Silicate Fluoride)
      • Katophorite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiokatophorite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesiotaramite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Potassic-fluorrichterite (Potassium Sodium Calcium Magnesium Silicate Fluoride)
      • Richterite (Sodium Calcium Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Taramite (Sodium Calcium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Winchite (Calcium Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      Glaucophane Subgroup (Alkali Amphiboles):
      • Arfvedsonite (Sodium Iron Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Eckermannite (Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferro-eckermannite (Sodium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ferroglaucophane (Sodium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Fluoro-ferroleakeite (Sodium Iron Lithium Silicate Fluoride)
      • Glaucophane (Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Kornite (Sodium Potassium Magnesium Manganese Lithium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Kozulite (Sodium Manganese Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Leakeite (Sodium Magnesium Iron Lithium Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesio-arfvedsonite (Sodium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Magnesioriebeckite (Sodium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Nyboite (Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Riebeckite (Sodium Iron Silicate Hydroxide)
      • Ungarettiite (Sodium Manganese Silicate Oxide)
  • Astrophyllite (Potassium Iron Titanium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Babingtonite (Calcium Iron Manganese Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Charoite (Hydrated Sodium Calcium Barium Strontium Silicate Hydroxide Fluoride)
  • Epididymite (Sodium Beryllium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Eudidymite (Sodium Beryllium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Inesite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Kupletskite (Potassium Sodium Manganese Iron Titanium Niobium Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Plancheite (Hydrated Copper Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Yuksporite (Hydrated Potassium Barium Sodium Calcium Titanium Silicate Fluoride Hydroxide)

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