1. A high-temperature form of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) that crystallizes in the cubic system; a mineral found in volcanic rocks and used in ceramics and refractories.
Usage: technical; mineralogy

Examples

• Cristobalite forms when silica is heated to very high temperatures in volcanic environments.
• The ceramic industry uses cristobalite as a refractory material in kiln linings.
• Cristobalite is one of the polymorphs of silicon dioxide, along with quartz and tridymite.
• Geologists identified cristobalite crystals in the ancient lava flow samples.