- cristobalite
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/kri stoh"beuh luyt'/, n. Mineral.a polymorph of quartz occurring in volcanic rock in the form of colorless, translucent crystals.[1885-90; named after San Cristóbal, a hill near Pachuca de Soto, Mexico; see -ITE1]
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▪ mineralthe stable form of silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) between its melting point of 1,728° C (3,142° F) and 1,470° C (2,678° F), below which tridymite is the stable form. Cristobalite has two modifications: low-cristobalite, which occurs naturally up to 268° C (514° F) but is not stable; and high-cristobalite, which occurs above 268° C but is only stable above 1,470° C. Natural low-cristobalite usually occurs in sub-microcrystalline masses (see opal) or fibrous to columnar spherulites (see lussatite) in igneous rocks. Cristobalite has the same chemical composition as coesite, stishovite, quartz, and tridymite but has a different crystal structure. For detailed physical properties, see silica mineral (table).* * *
Universalium. 2010.