Crystalline Mineral

A Crystalline Mineral is a mineral that has a well-ordered atomic structure, forming a crystal lattice with repeating patterns.

• Context:
  • It can exhibit external crystal forms such as cubes, prisms, or needles, reflecting its internal lattice structure.
  • It can belong to any of the seven crystal systems: cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic, and trigonal.
  • It can form through geological processes such as crystallization from magma, precipitation from solutions, or solid-state transformations.
  • It can display properties like cleavage, fracture, hardness, and specific gravity, determined by its atomic structure and bonding.
  • It can be classified based on chemical composition into groups such as silicates, oxides, sulfides, carbonates, and more.
  • It can range in size from microscopic crystals (e.g., in clays) to large, well-formed crystals found in geodes or veins.
  • It can include both common rock-forming minerals and rare, collectible specimens.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Silicate Minerals:
    • Quartz, a common silicate mineral that crystallizes in the trigonal system.
    • Feldspar Group Minerals, essential components of igneous rocks.
    • Mica Group Minerals, which exhibit perfect basal cleavage due to their layered structure.
    • Olivine, a high-temperature silicate commonly found in igneous rocks.
  • Carbonate Minerals:
    • Calcite, a carbonate mineral with rhombohedral cleavage.
    • Aragonite, a polymorph of calcite that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system.
    • Dolomite, a carbonate mineral often found in sedimentary rocks.
  • Oxide Minerals:
    • Spinel Group Minerals, which crystallize in the cubic system.
    • Magnetite, an iron oxide mineral with strong magnetic properties.
    • Hematite, an iron oxide mineral often found in sedimentary layers.
  • Sulfide Minerals:
    • Pyrite, known as "fool's gold," which forms cubic and pyritohedral crystals.
    • Galena, a lead sulfide mineral with a cubic crystal structure.
    • Chalcopyrite, a copper-iron sulfide that forms tetragonal crystals.
  • Halide Minerals:
    • Fluorite, a halide mineral often forming cubic crystals.
    • Halite, commonly known as rock salt, crystallizing in the cubic system.
    • Sylvite, a potassium chloride mineral found in evaporite deposits.
  • Gemstone Crystalline Minerals:
    • Diamond, a crystalline form of carbon with exceptional hardness.
    • Amethyst, a purple variety of quartz prized as a gemstone.
    • Garnet, a group of silicate minerals known for their isometric crystals and vibrant colors.
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• Counter-Example(s):
  • Amorphous Minerals, which lack a crystalline structure and do not have a repeating atomic pattern (e.g., opal).
  • Glasses, which are non-crystalline solids formed from rapid cooling of molten material.
  • Organic Minerals, which may form biological structures but do not exhibit true crystalline properties.
  • Synthetic Polymers, which may mimic crystalline forms but are not naturally occurring minerals.
  • ...
• See: Crystal Lattice, Crystal Systems, Mineralogy, Rock-Forming Minerals, Geology.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystalline_mineral Retrieved:2024-12-15.
  • Crystalline minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a defined chemical composition and a characteristic crystal lattice structure.<ref name=Mindat

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