Final answer:
The major types of silicate minerals, such as neosilicates, sorosilicates, cyclosilicates, inosilicates, phyllosilicates, and tectosilicates, have distinctive structural features based on the arrangement and linkage of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major types of silicate minerals include neosilicates, sorosilicates, cyclosilicates, inosilicates, phyllosilicates, and tectosilicates. Each type has distinctive structural features that depend on the arrangement and linkage of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra. For example, neosilicates have isolated tetrahedra, sorosilicates have pairs of tetrahedra, cyclosilicates have rings of tetrahedra, inosilicates have chains of tetrahedra, phyllosilicates have sheets of tetrahedra, and tectosilicates have three-dimensional frameworks of tetrahedra.