What is Silicate?
In [[chemistry]], a '''silicate''' is a [[chemical compound]] consisting of one or more central [[silicon]] atoms that are surrounded by electronegative [[anion]]s. The most common silicate species consist of [[silicon]] with [[oxygen]] as the anion. Silicate [[anion]]s, with a negative net electrical charge, must have that charge balanced by other [[cation]]s to make an electrically neutral compound. ==Silicate rock== In [[geology]] and [[planetary science]], the term '''silicate''' is used to denote types of [[Rock (geology)|rock]] that consist predominantly of [[silicate mineral]]s. On Earth, a wide variety of [[silicate mineral]]<nowiki/>s occur in an even wider range of combinations as a result of the processes that form and re-work the crust. These processes include partial [[melting]], [[crystallization]], [[fractionation]], [[metamorphism]], [[weathering]] and [[diagenesis]]. Living things also contribute to the silicate cycle near the Earth's surface. A type of [[plankton]] known as [[diatom]]s construct their [[exoskeleton]]s, known as tests, from silica. The tests of dead diatoms are a major constituent of [[deep ocean]] [[sediment]] [[Category:Chemical compounds]] [[Category:Geology]] [[Category:Ions]] {{chem-stub}}