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Questions tagged [crystallography]

questions relating to the arrangement of atoms in solids, such as the ways in which crystal structure influence material properties, or suitable analytical methods e.g. X-ray diffraction and microscopy

4 votes
1 answer
70 views

Simple explanation of what "preferential lattice expansion due to excessive magnesium adsorption", means

In the context of crystal growth, particularly saddle or baroque dolomite development, what does "preferential lattice expansion due to excessive magnesium adsorption" mean in practical ...
Josiah's user avatar
  • 193
4 votes
1 answer
47 views

What is a good definition for "lattice bound" and is iron within octahedral sites of illite considered lattice bound or interstitial?

The title pretty much says it all. I cannot find a satisfactory definition of "lattice bound", just a number of examples of it being used in literature. For example, in this paper about ...
Josiah's user avatar
  • 193
1 vote
0 answers
22 views

Good modern paper demonstrating differentiation of glauconite and berthierine using xrd or FTIR

I'm looking for a recent paper that demonstrates how one would unambiguously differentiate glauconite from berthierine and have yet to find something useful. I'm running across a lot of papers seeming ...
Josiah's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
0 answers
416 views

What stone/crystal is it? [closed]

I found this stone/crystal when I walked down the street few days ago. I picked it up since it looks very different with other stones in the area, I am really curious about what stone/crystal it is, ...
Gundyam's user avatar
  • 21
6 votes
0 answers
100 views

Why does asbestos grow in a hierarchy of separable fibers of separable fibrils; why don't they stick to each other or grow into each other?

Wikipedia's Asbestos begins: Asbestos (/æsˈbɛstɒs, æz-, -təs/) is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 7,052
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

Help me find a certain type of crystallographic notation

I was looking through wikipedia a few weeks ago while half asleep, reading articles about rocks and their chemical compositions. I then came across a certain crystallographic notation which I had not ...
paulina's user avatar
  • 111
2 votes
1 answer
487 views

Difference between crystal and mineral

What is the exact difference between a crystal and a mineral?
Jithin Murali's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
241 views

When diamonds "migrate" from deep underground to the surface, do they maintain pressure inside when there is no more pressure outside? If so, how?

From Science News' A mineral found in a diamond’s flaws contains the source of some of Earth’s heat: A tiny bit of rock trapped inside a diamond is now opening a brand-new window into what the planet’...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 7,052
4 votes
1 answer
205 views

How can the 'crystal cleavage' of apatite have a four-digit number?

On Wikipedia's page for apatite, the crystal cleavage is listed as [0001] or [0101], which I assume are Miller indices.... But how can there be four numbers/digits instead of two, like there usually ...
Kurt Hikes's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
45 views

Can crystal lattices be analogue? [closed]

This question might turn out to be more about physics then geology so apologies in advance if that is the case. Years ago I read something that said in crystals "atoms have finite positions along the ...
Tailspin's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
60 views

What does the unit cell of petitjeanite look like?

The question in Chemistry SE What is the crystal structure of bismuth oxyhydroxyphosphate (BOHP)? is about a catalyst synthesized by accident. A link in this comment points to the page https://www....
uhoh's user avatar
  • 7,052
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

What's the difference between cleavage and fracture?

I see both terms refereing to fractures on crystals or minerals, so I wonder if they could be considered synonymous. If no, what's the difference between both terms?
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
296 views

Does Xenon really covalently bond to oxygen within quartz?

Wikipedia's Xenon; occurrence and production says Within the Solar System, the nucleon fraction of xenon is $\small\mathsf{1.56 \times 10^{-8}}$, for an abundance of approximately one part in 630 ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 7,052
2 votes
1 answer
351 views

An oblique-square-prism crystal?

Does any mineral crystallize in the shape of an oblique square prism? If so, what crystal system (monoclinic, cubic, hexagonal, etc.) would such a mineral fall under?
resplaine's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
38 views

Crystallography: The shape of axial divergent profiles

I don't know if crystallography related topics go into this stack exchange, so sorry if that's wrong here. My question concerns the characteristic shape of axial divergent powder patterns. According ...
Justanotherchemist's user avatar

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