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CRYSTAL PROJECTIONS represents

the 3-D crystal shape on 2-D surface
How a spherical projection is produced
Imagine a crystal inside a big transparent beach ball with
a small, bright point of source light.
Use pinholes to see the light passing through
perpendicular to all the crystals faces
Using the light points on each face, mark the faces in the
inside of the ball (see Fig 6.3 p. 242 Klein)
Each face represented by a point is called a face pole
A stereographic projection is half (the northern
hemisphere) of the spherical projection

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001

Developing a Spherical Projection

-100

0-10
010

100

00-1

Stereographic projections

Fig 6.3: Spherical projection of an isometric crystal

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Stereographic projections

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Plane of half the spherical projection (N

hemisphere)

Plane of projection
-equatorial plane of
sphere

Primitive Circle
outlining projection
-equator

Fig 6.5: Relationship between spherical & stereographic projection

NOTE: Line of sight between face poles & S pole produces new POLES

Stereographic projections

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Stereographic projections

This is a stereographic projection of an isometric crystal

with the faces identified by Miller indices

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Stereographic projections
Making stereographic projections of crystals is
great fun
unfortunately we will not do this in this class
But you must know how to read them

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Stereographic projections
Symmetry elements present

Two fold axis

Mirror
Monoclinic crystal system, 2/m
Monoclinic prism

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Stereographic projections

Symmetry elements present:

3 two-fold axes
3 mirrors

Orthorhombic (2/m2/m2/m)

Stereographic projections

Symmetry elements present

5 mirrors
1 four-fold axis
4 two-fold axes
Tetragonal Crystal system

4/m2/m2/
Crystal Form is a Ditetragonal bipyramid

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Stereographic projections

Symmetry elements present:

7 mirrors
6 two-fold axes
1 six-fold axis

Hexagonal crystal system 6/m2/m2/m

Crystal form is a Dihexagonal bipyramid

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1
1

2
2

3
3

Symmetry elements present:

3 four-fold axes
4 three fold (rotoinversion) axes
6 two-fold axes
9 mirrors

Isometric crystal system crystal form is a Hexoctahedron

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Symmetry elements present:

3 four-fold (rotoinversion) axes

4 three fold axes
6 mirrors

Isometric system

Hexa tetrahedral class