Feldspar (including electrical insulators, sanitaryware, pottery, tableware, and tile) and other uses, such as fillers, accounted for the remainder. In earth sciences and archaeology, feldspars are used for K-Ar dating, argon-argon dating, and luminescence dating. In October 2012, the Mars Curiosity rover analyzed a rock that turned out to have a high feldspar content. Feldspar Feldspars (KAlSiO – NaAlSiO – CaAlSiO) are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals that make up about 41% of the Earth's continental crust by weight. Feldspars crystallize from magma as veins in both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks and are also present in many types of
Silicate minerals sheet silicates, form parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra with SiO or a 2:5 ratio. The Nickel–Strunz classification is 09.E. All phyllosilicate minerals are hydrated, with either water or hydroxyl groups attached. Examples include: Tectosilicates, or "framework silicates," have a three-dimensional framework of silicate tetrahedra with SiO or a 1:2 ratio. This group comprises nearly 75% of the crust of the Earth. Tectosilicates, with the exception of the quartz group, are aluminosilicates. The Nickel–Strunz classifications are 09.F and 09.G, 04.DA (Quartz/ silica family). Examples include: Silicate minerals Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals with predominantly silicate anions. They are the largest and