cristobalite

English

Cristobalite

Etymology

Named for the type locality at Cerro San Cristóbal, Mexico, +‎ -ite.

Noun

cristobalite (countable and uncountable, plural cristobalites)

1. (mineralogy) A mineral of volcanic rocks that solidified at a high temperature. Cristobalite is chemically identical to quartz, with the chemical formula SiO₂, but has a different crystal structure. Crystals are always microscopic, and usually form small rounded masses.

Translations

mineral

• Finnish: kristobaliiitti
• Polish: krystobalit m

See also

• Wikipedia article on Silicon dioxide minerals
• silicate, silica group

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Cristobalite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “cristobalite”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.