Crystals

Crystals
 A crystal is a solid in which the atoms are arranged
in orderly, repeating patterns.
 Crystalline structure can be seen either on the
inside or the outside of a mineral.
 Minerals that form with large amounts of space are
able to arrange themselves in crystal form on the
outside.
 If a mineral forms with limited space, the crystal
structure is seen on the inside. We cannot see this
with the naked eye.
Crystals from Magma

 Magma is hot melted rock. (when it

reaches the earth’s surface it’s called lava)
 When magma cools it forms crystals
 Therate at which the magma cools
determines the size of the crystals
These are all pictures
of granite.
Why do they all look
different?
Crystal Size
 The elements present in the magma will
determine which minerals form
 The slower the magma cools, the larger
the individual crystals
 The quicker the magma cools, the smaller
the individual crystals
Crystals from Solution
 Another way we can get crystals is from a
solution
 Remember, a solution is a mixture of two
or more things that are not chemically
combined
 Sea water is a solution
 When the water evaporated, crystals are
left behind.
Cubic Crystals
Cubic Crystals
 Cubic crystals have all 90 degree angles
with all sides of equal length
Examples of cubic crystals

Galena
Cubic Crystals

Halite
Halite
 6-sided
crystal
Hexagonal Crystal
 Sturmanite
Hexagonal Crystals
Quartz
 Tetragonal Crystals
 Much like the cubic,
except one side is longer
than the others, like a
rectangle.
 Zircon is a good example

Orthorhombic
Think of this as a
brick. It’s like
the last one, a
rectangle that has
been flattened so
that its
thicknesses are
different.
Orthorhombic has all 90° angles still. The rectangle is flattened either a
little or a lot, as seen here in a sample of barite. All 3 (pairs of) sides have
different lengths.
Monoclinic

Take the ‘brick,’ orthorhombic, and

slide it askew so that only one angle is
left at a 90° angle
Orthoclase is an example of a
monoclinic crystal shape
Monoclinic crystal: Orthoclase
Triclinic
 This is an unsymmetrical as a mineral can get
 No 90°angles
 Rhodonite is an example
More rhodonite
Rhodonite