PART II: CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

Unit 3.3: The Stereographic Projection

 Projection of crystal faces

Stereographic projection is a method used in crystallography to investigate atomic

planes or directions and visualizing various orientation dependent phenomena.

Remember that it is the angular relationships between crystal faces that actually reflects
the ordered internal arrangement of atoms and thus the internal symmetry.

Thus, even in distorted crystals that exhibit crystal faces, the symmetry can be
determined by the angular relationships
 Projection of crystal faces

Projections in three dimensions are vital for revealing and illustrating crystal
symmetry and morphology (faces and angles)

z
z
001
111 101 001
111

010
y
y
110
110 010
x
100 x
100

111
101 111
 Projection of crystal faces

Projections in three dimensions are vital for revealing and illustrating crystal
symmetry and morphology (faces and angles)

Miller índices = (111)

Projection of crystal faces
Projection of crystal faces

(0kl)
(h0l)

(0kl)
(h0l)
Projection of crystal faces

b
a
(100)
(100)
 Projection of crystal faces

1. Imagine that we have a crystal inside of a

sphere.

2. From each crystal face we draw a line

perpendicular to the face (poles to the face).

3. The faces are now points on the sphere

 Projection of crystal faces

1. Look at a cross-section of the sphere. We orient the crystal such that the pole to the (001)
face (the c axis) is vertical and points to the North pole of the sphere.

2. For the (111) face we draw the pole from the face to intersect the outside of the sphere.

3. Then, we draw a line from the point on the sphere directly to the South Pole.

4. Where this line intersects the equatorial plane is where we plot the point.
 Projection of crystal faces

The stereographic projection then appears on the equatorial plane

A face that intercepts the three axes will be projected inside the sphere
 Projection of crystal faces

Any face parallel to z (l = 0)  will be projected on the primitive circle

 Projection of crystal faces
The following rules are then applied:
1. All crystal faces are plotted as poles (lines perpendicular to the crystal face). Thus,
angles between crystal faces are really angles between poles to crystal faces.

2. Crystal faces that are on the top of the crystal (whose normal project into the upper
hemisphere) are represented as “x" signs, and crystal faces on the bottom of the crystal
(whose normal project into the lower hemisphere) are represented as open circles.

3. Crystal faces parallel to c (vertical faces, the normal touches the sphere at the equator)
are also plotted as x on the primitive circle (circle that that surrounds
the stereonet)
 Projection of symmetry
Projection of inclined planes  locus of all points projected from the intercept of an inclined
plane to the equatorial plane
 Projection of symmetry
Projection of inclined planes  locus of all points projected from the intercept of an inclined
plane to the equatorial plane
Projection of symmetry
 Projection of symmetry

m lateral, 4 y m ecuatorial 2 lateral y m ecuatorial

Examples: crystal faces

(100)
X

(100)

X O
X X

X
Examples: symmetry
 4/m 2/m 2/m

Tetragonal system
 X

4/m 2/m 2/m

 X X

4/m 2/m 2/m

 X

X X

4/m 2/m 2/m

 X

X X

4/m 2/m 2/m

 O
X

X
O O
X

O
X

4/m 2/m 2/m