Minerals and Their Habits

 

Each shape (habit) of the mineral has a particular name:

 

Acicular:

Long needle like crystals:

eg Gypsum CaSO4.2H2O

 

Columnar:

Long but thick:

eg Quartz SiO2

Equant:

Roughy equal in all dimensions

eg Olivine (Mg, Fe)2SiO4

 

Bladed:

Long, flat byt narrow

eg Kyanite Al2SiO5

Tabular:

Thin and flat

eg Muscovite KAl2(OH)2AlSi3O10

Concretionary:

Roughly spherical concentric layers

eg Pyrite FeS2

Botryoidal:

Rouded aggregates like a bunch of grapes

eg Pyrolusite MnO2

Mammilary:

Breast like rounded surfaces

eg Haematite Fe2O3

Pisolitic:

Pea-sized spherical concretions

eg Bauxite 

Oolitic:

Smaller concretions like fish eggs

eg Haematite Fe2O3

Foliated:

Separable leaves or sheets

Molybdenite  MoS2

Radiating:

Needle-like crystals pointing outwards from a common centre like a star burts.

eg Inesite H2(Mn,Ca)6Si6O19.3H2O

Stalactitic:

Thin tapering columns

eg Apatite Ca5(F,Cl,OH)(PO4)3

Dendritic:

Fern-like branching shapes

eg Pyrolusite  MnO2

Massive:

Compact with no particular shape

eg Rhodonite MnSiO3

Fibrous:

Clusters of thin threads

eg Crysotile asbestos H4Mg3Si2O9

 

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