phyllosilicate

[fil-oh-sil-i-kit, -keyt]

noun

1. any silicate mineral having the tetrahedral silicate groups linked in sheets, each group containing four oxygen atoms, three of which are shared with other groups so that the ratio of silicon atoms to oxygen atoms is two to five.

phyllosilicate

/ ˌfɪləʊˈsɪlɪkeɪt /

noun

1. any of a class of silicate minerals, including talc, consisting of thin sheets

Word History and Origins

Origin of phyllosilicate¹

First recorded in 1945–50; phyllo- + silicate

Example Sentences

All three groups show signs of a change that occurred during the early evolution of the Solar System, where water combines with other molecules to form phyllosilicate and carbonate minerals.

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Earthquakes begin with microscopically small movements in the phyllosilicate rock.

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The result is an equation that makes it easier for modellers to simulate how faults move, including during earthquakes - and they have found phyllosilicate is not the only type of rock playing a part.

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