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Cryptocrystalline is a rock texture made up of such minute crystals that its crystalline nature is only vaguely revealed even microscopically [1] in thin section by transmitted polarized light. Among the sedimentary rocks , chert and flint are cryptocrystalline.
Chert (/ tʃ ɜːr t /) is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, [1] the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO 2). [2] Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a chemical precipitate or a diagenetic replacement, as in petrified wood.
The most important distinction between types of quartz is that of macrocrystalline (individual crystals visible to the unaided eye) and the microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline varieties (aggregates of crystals visible only under high magnification). The cryptocrystalline varieties are either translucent or mostly opaque, while the transparent ...
Chalcedony (/ k æ l ˈ s ɛ d ə n i / kal-SED-ə-nee, or / ˈ k æ l s ə ˌ d oʊ n i / KAL-sə-doh-nee) [2] is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. [3] These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic.
A microcrystalline material is a crystallized substance or rock that contains small crystals visible only through microscopic examination. There is little agreement on the range of crystal sizes that should be regarded as microcrystalline, but the extreme range of values suggested is 1 to 200 microns .
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Crystals requiring microscopic or X-ray analysis for identification are termed microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline. [2] Macrocrystalline or phaneritic texture is common in intrusive igneous rocks that cooled slowly enough for crystal growth. Pegmatites are noted for their large crystal size.
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, [1] [2] categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start fires. Flint occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones.