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Mineralati

Minerals

Cristobalite

cristobalite

SiO2

Premium Photo | Cristobalite mineral sample

Premium Photo | Cristobalite mineral sample — via www.freepik.com · Source

Overview

Cristobalite ( krist-OH-bə-lyte) is a mineral polymorph of silica that is formed at very high temperatures. It has the same chemical formula as quartz, SiO2, but a distinct crystal structure. Both quartz and cristobalite are polymorphs with all the members of the quartz group, which also include coesite, tridymite and stishovite. It is named after Cerro San Cristóbal in Pachuca Municipality, Hidalgo, Mexico. It is used in dentistry as a component of alginate impression materials as well as for making models of teeth.

Identification characteristics

  • Mohs hardness 6.5

Scientific references

  1. Cristobalite — Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q422075 Link
  2. Cristobalite — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristobalite Link