Silicates are minerals that contain silicon atoms bonded to oxygen atoms. The basic building block for all silicate minerals is called a tetrahedron, where one silicon atom is bonded to 4 oxygen atoms (Figure 3.6). Silicate minerals also often contain other elements, such as calcium, iron, and magnesium.hosphates have a tetrahedron building block that is similar to that of the silicates. But, instead of silicon, phosphates have an atom of phosphorus, arsenic, or vanadium bonded to oxygen. Although there are many minerals in this group, most of the minerals are rare.
Neptune is the coldest planet in the Solar System. At the top of its clouds, temperatures on Neptune can dip down to 51.7 Kelvin, or -221.4 degrees Celsius. Thatâs cold! Pluto gets colder, but then, Pluto isnât a planet any more.
Gas Giant. Neptune is classified as one of our solar system's gas giant planets, meaning it does not have a solid surface and is largely a collection of swirling clouds and gas. The blue surface we see in pictures of Neptune is in fact the top of a permanent cloud cover.he planet is almost four times the size of Earth, and because of its composition, is almost 17 times heavier. It takes Neptune 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun and a day on the planet lasts around 16 hours.