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Crystal Habits and Aggregates

This document describes various crystal habits and aggregates, which refer to the external shape and growth patterns of mineral crystals. It defines over 30 different habits and aggregate forms, organized into categories including isolated crystals, groups of distinct crystals, parallel or radiating groups, sheets, grains, and general terminology. Crystal habits provide information about the mineral's mode of formation and can aid in identification.

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Caleb Jalmasco
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276 views5 pages

Crystal Habits and Aggregates

This document describes various crystal habits and aggregates, which refer to the external shape and growth patterns of mineral crystals. It defines over 30 different habits and aggregate forms, organized into categories including isolated crystals, groups of distinct crystals, parallel or radiating groups, sheets, grains, and general terminology. Crystal habits provide information about the mineral's mode of formation and can aid in identification.

Uploaded by

Caleb Jalmasco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Crystal habits and aggregates

- Describes the external or the general


shape of a crystal

I. Minerals in isolated or distinct crystals


 Acicular – slender and needlelike  Prismatic – pencil-like elongated
crystals; can produce fan-shaped crystals; e.g. tourmaline
aggregates; e.g. gypsum, rutile

 Capillary or Filiform – threadlike or


hairlike crystals; e.g. millerite
 Hopper – partially formed crystal;
more rapid growth on the outer
edge; e.g. bismuth

 Bladed – elongated and flattened;


e.g. kyanite
II. Groups of distinct crystals
 Dendritic – branching growth  Drusy – surface covered with small
forming plant-like pattern; e.g. crystals; e.g. quartz
copper

III. Parallel or radiating groups of individual


crystals
 Columnar – column like, stout
 Reticulated – latticelike group of prisms; e.g. selenite
slender crystals; e.g. cerussite

 Divergent or radiated – crystal grows  Fibrous – fine fiber-like crystals; e.g.


outward from central point; e.g. chrysotile
pyrite
 Stellated – outward growth from  Mammillary – rounded breastlike
common point, forming starlike or masses; e.g. malachite
circular group; e.g. pyrophyllite

 Colloform – spherical forms with no


regard to size; e.g. hematite
 Globular – bubbly, rounded masses;
e.g. gyrolite

IV. Mineral associated with the idea of sheets


 Foliated – sheet like or layered
structure; separable into plates; e.g.
 Botryoidal – resembles grape
biotite
bunches; e.g. hematite

 Micaceous – flaky crystals; split into


 Reniform – round-kidney shaped
very thin, flexible sheets; e.g.
masses; e.g. pyrolusite
muscovite
 Lamellar or tabular – layered, VI. General Terminology
overlapping masses like sheets of  Stalactitic – formed as stalactites or
paper; e.g. molybdenite stalagmites; downwards or upwards
in a cavity; e.g. malachite

 Plumose – fine, featherlike scales;


e.g. pyrolusite
 Pisolitic – rounded in the size of a
pea; e.g. bauxite

V. Composed of grains
 Granular – composed of many
rounded or equant anhedral
crystals; e.g. olivine
 Oolitic – rounded with size less than
4mm; e.g. hematite
 Banded – narrow bands of different  Geode – rounded mass on the inside
colors; e.g. rhodochrosite walls of a cavity with several bands;
e.g. celestite

 Massive – no distinctive habit or


feature; e.g. serpentine

 Amygdaloidal – like embedded


almonds; e.g. heulandite

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