Crystal Habits
Rock&Gem Magazine|July 2020
Whenever we talk about minerals, especially our favorite minerals, we use all sorts of descriptive terms that don’t seem to have anything to do with one of the six crystal systems.
- BOB JONES
Crystal Habits

Mineral specimens are commonly described as dendritic, acicular, columnar, striated, botryoidal, banded, and prismatic, acicular.

These terms are the language of crystal habits and are an integral part of a conversation when we describe mineral specimens. While using such terms, we seldom think about why a particular term works for us. I doubt we realize these terms are the direct result of two things, the mineral’s internal atomic structure and the role it plays in a mineral’s development and the effects of the environment on a mineral during formation. We already know when a mineral forms, it develops as one of the recognized crystal systems: isometric, hexagonal, monoclinic, triclinic, tetragonal, or orthorhombic. You may also come across a seventh system, trigonal. This is actually a sub-system based on two basic crystal forms in the hexagonal system.

Regular calcite can show an obvious hexagonal form while some calcites develop in rhombic crystals, so they are identified as trigonal crystals. You have undoubtedly seen this in some rhodochrosite specimens, which is another carbonate. This mineral type shows the same two hexagonal systems. When we describe a mineral, we may start by naming its crystal system. But we need to use terms that describe the specimen in far more detail, and that’s when we describe the mineral’s crystal habits. Native copper is an example of this. It is a cubic or isometric mineral.

この蚘事は Rock&Gem Magazine の July 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Rock&Gem Magazine の July 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

ROCK&GEM MAGAZINEのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands

A short ferry boat ride three miles from Ohio’s Lake Erie coastline is South Bass Island, better known as Put-in-Bay or the “Key West of the North.”

time-read
4 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Iowa's Hidden Treasures
Rock&Gem Magazine

Iowa's Hidden Treasures

Exploring Keokuk Geodes: How They're Made & What's Inside

time-read
5 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Agatized CORAL
Rock&Gem Magazine

Agatized CORAL

Florida's Collectible State Stone

time-read
3 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Rockhounding Florida's Beaches
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Florida's Beaches

Beachcombing serene stretches of Florida can reveal fascinating finds like fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, quartz, agate and even coral fragments.

time-read
6 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Collecting Staurolite
Rock&Gem Magazine

Collecting Staurolite

Hot Spots In Virginia & Georgia

time-read
3 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Pecos Valley Diamonds
Rock&Gem Magazine

Pecos Valley Diamonds

New Mexico's Ancient Attraction

time-read
4 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows
Rock&Gem Magazine

12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows

Tucson in February becomes the international hub for buying and selling colored gems, rocks, minerals and fossils.

time-read
4 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Turquoise in the American Southwest
Rock&Gem Magazine

Turquoise in the American Southwest

A Water & Sky Souvenir

time-read
4 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT
Rock&Gem Magazine

Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT

It's a Showcase of Mining History & Minerals

time-read
6 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks
Rock&Gem Magazine

Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks

Most of Colorado’s tourist trains today were originally constructed in the late 1800s to serve the state’s lucrative mining operations.

time-read
4 分  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024