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natures geometry of crystals/ minerals, quartz, rocks

ROCKS, MINERALS, CRYSTALS AND QUARTZ Minerals There are some two thousand known minerals on earth, each with its own distinctive structure and chemical makeup. Their character is defined by hardness and weight, crystal structure and cleavage (how they break). Minerals are made of one or more chemical elements. Elements are pure substances made from only one kind of atom. In a mineral, the atoms are arranged in repeating patterns that form crystals. There are seven main crystal forms. They are the cubic (pyrite, diamond), the hexagonal (ice crystals, snow flakes), the monoclinic (gypsum), the tetragonal (zircon), the orthorhombic (olivine, topaz), and the tri-clinic (plagioclase feldspars). All crystals have a precise internal geometric structure. Their shape, size, and color can vary greatly. Most crystals are found underground. Rocks are made either of one mineral or, more often, a mixture of minerals. Minerals are made of elements. Elements are simple substances that cannot be broken down into any other substance. Some minerals, such as gold, are made of only one element. But most minerals are made of two or more elements. For example, salt is made of sodium and chlorine, and can be written as the formula NaCl. Minerals grow into special recognizable shapes that are used to identify them. They grow into unique shapes having flat surfaces. If a mineral is found with flat surfaces its likely to be a crystal. All crystals are symmetrical.

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THE SEVEN CRYSTAL SYSTEM The diagram on the following page with the seven-pointed star is pointing at the seven crystal system that has been created by modifying the shape of the cube into seven new and unique geometric forms. To create these new forms, the shape of the cube has been extended, compressed, twisted, and assembled. All these new crystal forms are symmetrical and made up of straight lines. Their angles are made up of whole numbers that make them acceptable to more crystal design variations for creating thirty-two more new crystal designs, which are called the 32 crystal groups. These seven crystal shapes shown on the chart are used to create the 32 crystals shown below. The crystals are more complex in detail and have more refinement in their construction. This detail makes each crystal distinguishable from the others. From these 32 classes of crystals there are hundreds more that are generated. As more crystals are created, they become even more complex in their geometric forms and faceted configuration. Color and texture play a major role in distinguishing their character. At times these crystals have to be taken to a laboratory and X-rayed to find out how their internal structure is constructed, that is, their crystallo-graphic axes, unit cell, type of symmetry, etc.

External symmetry of Crystals and the Magic Number 32: The external symmetry of crystals can be characterized by reflection planes and rotation axes, similar to the symmetry of polyhedra, as the crystal shapes are indeed the shapes of polyhedra. There are 32 possible crystal shapes. They are called the 32 Crystal Groups. They are shown by examples of actual minerals (For one of the 32, no mineral has yet been found.)

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CRYSTAL SYSTEMS AND CRYSTAL FORMS The Greek word crystal is derived from the word krystallos or kryos, meaning ice cold. Most minerals are crystalline. They develop crystal forms, geometric bodies which are specific to and typical of that mineral. All crystal forms can be assigned to seven crystal systems (cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, trigonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, or triclinic). These systems are differentiated according to the axes of the crystal, the angle at which the axes intersect, and the symmetry. The crystal systems are shown with one example crystal form. Crystals are formed when cooling gas or vapor atoms slow down, get closer together, grasp each other with strongly attractive force, and become locked in a regimented order. Every snowfall illustrates this beautifully. When the air, heavy with water vapor cools sufficiently, atomic groups composing the water vapor slow down and finally lock each other into the beautiful hexagon patterning of snow crystals. These crystals are made up of different kinds of polygons that are fitted together to create these forms. This is similar to the polyhedrons. The difference is that the crystals are not limited to just six types of polygons which are used to go into their construction. The polygons seen on some crystals are somewhat distorted. Crystals can be large or small, slender or thick, straight or crooked. The ideal form (ideal crystal), as it is always pictured in a textbook or identification manual is almost never attained in nature. The full grown crystal is usually rather deformed, that is to say, distorted. But despite the difference in appearance, the crystal still retains regular features, which are clearly discernable. The angles are found always to be the same in each kind of crystal. There are thirty-two classes of crystals that all have a given system of symmetry in common. Each system is recognizable by a set of unique symmetry axes assigned to it by which its symmetry family can be easily described. Another thing that makes crystals of different classes confusing is that crystals have a way of growing together, which is called twins. In other words, crystals cross one another at varying angles. Sometimes the term is interpenetration. Twin and cruciform twin are used as synonyms. This is also called individuals multiple twins. Crystals are the flowers in the mineral family.

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THE GEOMETRY OF CRYSTALS 1. This hexagonal crystal is shown with the flat faceted sides facing down and the other one up. The length of the crystal is created by one fifth reference point at the top and bottom of the main square. 2. This tetragonal crystal is shown with the square centered on the center point. The diagonal of the small square in the corner of the main square has created the size of this center square. 3. This dipyramid crystal is shown with the square centered on the center point. The diagonal of the main square intersects the horizontal center line and has created a reference point. 4. This rhombohedron crystal is shown with the main square divided into thirds by the two coordinate lines that run diagonal through the main square top to bottom. 5. This clinopinacoid crystal is shown with the main square divided into thirds by two coordinate lines that run diagonally through the main square, top to bottom. The facet around side is created by points as shown. 6. This spinacoids crystal is a rectangular form with " for its width.

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CUBES THAT HAVE BEEN MODIFIED The cube is a solid form with six equal sides and is illustrated here in another example of a basic cube being used with modification. Parts of the corners and edges have been cut away to create a new and unique form. This new form is used as a basic solid form for different kinds of crystal material, as the sample names shown imply. One sample shown has another cube the same size inserted through it to create a double crystal configuration. This is quite common in the crystal world. The other difference is that the same new design crystal can come in different sizes, colors, and textures. The internal structure is also unique in each crystal design. This is called cleavages pattern. You can often identify minerals by a combination of their crystal shape and cleavage pattern. You can often identify minerals by a combination of their crystal shape and cleavage pattern.

Fluorite Crystal

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