Earth Science Asked by zan867 on February 16, 2021
Known that it is found in sand, silt and clay but is it found in all soils?
tl;dr
Silica is everywhere, in everything. The amounts can be close to 100% in quartz sand, or less than 1% in things like peat or limestones (and derived soils). Finding completely pure soils (let's say less than 0.1%) is wishful thinking.
Silicon dioxide (or silica, or silicon oxide, it's all the same thing) can exist in two "forms":
Silica the compound (as quartz and others) is one of the most abundant materials on the surface. Sand (the white-yellow stuff) is commonly 99% quartz. Silt and clay are actually definitions of grain size, not chemical composition. Most soils that are silt or clay size also have abundant quartz in it. Quartz is a component of dust. This stuff gets everywhere.
For soils that don't have quartz proper in them, most will have silica as a chemical component. Clay minerals, pyroxenes, amphiboles, micas, feldspars, and all silicate minerals (which are the most common rock forming minerals on Earth).
It is easier to talk about the rocks and soils that don't have any silica in them.
Correct answer by Gimelist on February 16, 2021
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