Mineral Habits

Question 1

Acicular

Answer 1

Needle-shaped; slender and pointed; a crystal habit of some minerals.

Question 2

Bladed

Answer 2

Flat, elongated, “blade-like” crystals; a type of crystal habit. It describes flattened crystals shaped like a knife blade

Question 3

Botryoidal

Answer 3

It is a crystal habit describing grape-like warts grown on an otherwise smooth surface.

Question 4

Cubic

Answer 4

Crystals resembling cubes.

Question 5

Dendritic

Answer 5

crystals that are unusually large and develop a multi-branching form.

Question 6

Dodecahedral

Answer 6

minerals that crystallize in the form of dodecahedrons.

Question 7

Doubly Terminated

Answer 7

This term designates a crystal whose two ends have a termination, that is to say expressed crystal faces.

Question 8

Druzy

Answer 8

set of tiny crystals of minerals that form on the surface of another stone. Each type of has particular characteristics, such as crystal size, luster and color

Question 9

Geodic

Answer 9

habit in which mineral aggregates form a rounded or oblate mass by crystallization on the inside walls of a cavity.

Question 10

Hopper

Answer 10

Crystal form exhibiting an indenting, terraced, structure penetrating towards the center. occurs when electrical attraction is higher along the edges of the crystal; this causes faster growth at the edges than near the face of the crystal.

Question 11

Massive

Answer 11

Term used to describe a mineral that has no definable shape or form, as its crystals or aggregates are not visible to the unaided eye.

Question 12

Micaceous/Lamellar

Answer 12

Aggregate of compact, flat, parallel, flexible, and peelable sheets, or describing minerals that occur in such aggregates

Question 13

Octahedral

Answer 13

Eight sided polyhedron; all sides are equidimensional and bisect at the same angle.

Question 14

Pisolitic

Answer 14

minerals occur in crystalline aggregates that are rounded and about the size of peas. Individuals are made up of many tiny radiating spheres and occur on mineral surfaces, like deflated botryoidal texture.

Question 15

Prismatic

Answer 15

Crystal habit describing a crystal with four or more sides similar in length and width.

Question 16

Radiating/Divergent

Answer 16

A mineral with crystals or fibers arranged around a center point, for example, stibnite. Also called divergent.

Question 17

Rosette

Answer 17

habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin. Basically resembling a rose.

Question 18

Stalitic

Answer 18

A crystal habit that resembles stalactites.

Question 19

Tabular

Answer 19

The structure of a mineral or rock that makes it tend to separate into plates or laminae.

Question 20

Filiform/Capillary

Answer 20

Like hair or thread

Question 21

Reticulated

Answer 21

Interconnected like a lattice

Question 22

Columnar

Answer 22

Stout parallel clusters like a column

Question 23

Stellate

Answer 23

Long thin crystals radiating in all directions, like a starburst

Question 24

Spherical/Globular

Answer 24

Compact clusters in rounded, ball-like shapes

Question 25

Mammilary

Answer 25

Large rounded masses resembling human breasts

Question 26

Reniform

Answer 26

Radiating compact clusters of crystals ending in rounded, kidney-like, surfaces

Question 27

Plumose

Answer 27

Feather-like sprays of fine scales, similar to dendritic but with a much finer structure

Question 28

Banded

Answer 28

Showing different bands or layers of color or texture