Silicon-Oxygen Tetrahedron Diagram

All 10 parts on the diagram

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One tetrahedron 3

Silicon atom One silicon atom sits at the center of the tetrahedron.
Oxygen atom Four oxygen atoms surround the silicon, one at each corner.
Tetrahedron A solid with four faces and four corners. It stands for the whole group of five atoms.

How tetrahedra link 7

Isolated tetrahedra Tetrahedra that share no oxygen atom with each other. Olivine is built this way.
Double tetrahedra Two tetrahedra that share one oxygen atom.
Ring Tetrahedra joined in a closed ring. Beryl is built this way.
Single chain Tetrahedra joined in one long row. Pyroxene is built this way.
Double chain Two chains joined side by side. Amphibole is built this way.
Sheet Tetrahedra joined in a flat sheet. The micas are built this way.
Framework Every corner oxygen is shared, in three dimensions. Quartz and feldspar are built this way.

How this list was compiled: Every name and statement checked on 2026-10-03 in two independent sources; the structures stand in three. (1) Tulane University, EENS 2110 Mineralogy, Silicate Structures (S. A. Nelson), https://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/silicate_structures08.htm : silicon surrounded by four oxygens in a tetrahedron; corner oxygens shared between tetrahedra; island silicates (olivine), double island silicates, ring silicates (beryl), single chains (the pyroxenes), double chains (the amphiboles), sheets (the micas) and frameworks in which every corner oxygen is shared (quartz, the feldspars). (2) Wikipedia, Silicate mineral, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicate_mineral : silicon tetrahedral, surrounded by four oxygens; the table of seven groups (isolated tetrahedra, double tetrahedra with a shared oxygen vertex, rings, single chain, double chain, sheets, 3D framework) with olivine, beryl, pyroxene, amphibole, micas, quartz and feldspars as the examples. (3) National Park Service, Glossary of Geologic Terms, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/gri-glossary-of-geologic-terms.htm : silicate, olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, mica, feldspar and quartz as silicon and oxygen minerals. (4) S. Earle, Physical Geology, 2.4 Silicate Minerals, Geosciences LibreTexts, https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geology/Physical_Geology_(Earle)/02%3A_Minerals/2.04%3A_Silicate_Minerals : the silica tetrahedron as four oxygen atoms and one silicon atom, the building block of the silicate minerals; the table of isolated tetrahedra (olivine), pairs, rings, single chains (pyroxenes), double chains (amphiboles), sheets (micas) and frameworks (feldspars, quartz), in which triangles stand for tetrahedra; corner oxygens shared between two tetrahedra. For the ring this source names tourmaline; beryl is named by (1) and (2). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Own original drawing; nothing is traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

This silicon-oxygen tetrahedron diagram shows the group as a model, with one silicon atom and four oxygen atoms, and as a solid. A second drawing shows seven ways tetrahedra link to build silicate minerals.

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One group, two drawings

In a silicate mineral each silicon atom has four oxygen atoms around it, at the corners of a tetrahedron. The solid stands for that whole group. Seen from straight above, it is a triangle, and that triangle is the sign for one tetrahedron in the second drawing.

Sharing corners

Tetrahedra link by sharing oxygen atoms at their corners. Sharing none leaves isolated tetrahedra; sharing every corner builds a framework. Chains and sheets lie between.

The framework is drawn as solids, not from above, because it reaches in three dimensions.

Questions and answers

How do I label the atoms in the silica-oxygen tetrahedron?

The one small ball in the middle of the model is the silicon atom. The four large balls around it, at the four corners, are oxygen atoms.

What is a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron?

One silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms that sit at the corners of a tetrahedron, a solid with four triangular faces. It is the building block of the silicate minerals.

How do silicon-oxygen tetrahedra link together?

By sharing oxygen atoms at their corners. They stay isolated or form pairs, rings, single chains, double chains, sheets or three-dimensional frameworks.

Which minerals have which silicate structure?

Olivine has isolated tetrahedra, beryl has rings, the pyroxenes have single chains, the amphiboles have double chains, the micas have sheets, and quartz and the feldspars have frameworks.