TRIDYMITE

silica mineral, the stable form of silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) at temperatures between 870 and 1,470 C (1,598 and 2,678 F); at lower temperatures it transforms to high-quartz, at higher to cristobalite. It has three modifications: high-tridymite, middle-tridymite, and low-tridymite. Tridymite forms thin hexagonal plates that are generally twinned, often in groups of three; its name alludes to this habit. It commonly occurs in igneous rocks, more abundantly than cristobalite, as in the trachytes of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; northern Italy; and in the Massif Central, France. Tridymite, also found in meteorites, has the same chemical composition as coesite, cristobalite, keatite, lechatelierite, and quartz but has a different crystal structure. For detailed physical properties, see silica mineral (Table 2).