Where Silicon is Found

27.6% of the Earth's crust is made up of silicon. Although it is so abundant, it is not usually found in its pure state, but rather its dioxide and hydrates. SiO₂

is silicon's only stable oxide, and is found in many crystalline varieties. Its purest form being quartz, but also as jasper and opal. Silicon can also be found in feldspar, micas, olivines, pyroxenes and even in water (Figure 1). In another allotropic form silicon is a brown amorphous powder most familiar in "dirty" beach sand. The crystalline form of silicon is the foundation of the semiconductor age.

Figure 1: Sand is an easy to find silicon deposit