MICA - Phyllosilicate mineral with TOT layers alternating with filled interlayer cation layers.

Micas have no exchangeable water. The cation Al3+ substitutes for every fourth Si4+ in tetrahedral
layers, producing a negative charge on the surfaces of TOT layers. This negative charge is
balanced by positively charged interlayer cations (X+) in 12-fold coordination, which
bind the structure tightly.

The octahedral layers may be occupied by two 3+ cations (e.g., Al3+), making the mica
“dioctahedral”, or can contain three 2+ cations (e.g., Mg2+, Fe2+) making the mica “trioctahedral.”
Micas can have mixed octahedral and interlayer occupancies.

Micas can be divided into true and brittle based upon their interlayer occupancy; true micas have
monovalent cations, whereas brittle micas have 2+ cations (compensated by two Al3+ in the
tetrahedral layer). The higher interlayer charge makes the mineral harder and the layers less
flexible, hence the term "brittle."

Dioctahedral micas include: muscovite and paragonite (true micas) and margarite (brittle mica).
They exhibit a partial solid solution series (Na+ ↔ K+) and minor substitution of Ca2+ into
structure (more at the paragonite end). Significant amounts of Na+ fit into margarite.

Trioctahedral micas include: biotite and phlogopite (true micas) and clintonite (brittle mica).
Biotite consist of the solid solution series (Mg2+ ↔ Fe2+) with end-members of phlogopite,
KMg3(AlSi3)O10(OH)2, and annite, KFe3(AlSi3)O10(OH)2; however, pure annite never observed in
nature. The cation Ti4+ substitutes in the octahedral sites by complex coupled substitution whose
nature is not entirely clear. One important process is loss of protons from the hydroxyl groups, to
yield the Ti-biotite end-member KMg2Ti(AlSi3)O12. The addition of F to biotite increases its
stability to higher temperatures and pressures.
The general mica formula is XY2-3Z4O10(OH,F,Cl)2. The interlayer cation (X) can be K+, Na+,
Ca2+ (also Ba2+, Rb+, Cs+). The octahedral cations (Y) can be Al3+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Fe3+ (also Mn2+,
Cr3+, Ti4+) and the tetrahedral cations (Z) are Si4+ and Al3+. All micas, except those with high F
contents, contain 4-5 wt. % H2O.