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Cleavage (crystal) Cleavage, in mineralogy and materials science, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite crystallographic structural planes. These planes of relative weakness are a result of the regular locations of atoms and ions in the crystal, which create smooth repeating surfaces that are visible both in the ...
Cleavage is a type of secondary foliation associated with fine grained rocks. For coarser grained rocks, schistosity is used to describe secondary foliation. There are a variety of definitions for cleavage, which may cause confusion and debate. The terminology used in this article is based largely on Passchier and Trouw (2005).
As cleavage is a function of crystallography, there are a variety of cleavage types. Cleavage occurs typically in either one, two, three, four, or six directions. Basal cleavage in one direction is a distinctive property of the micas. Two-directional cleavage is described as prismatic, and occurs in minerals such as the amphiboles and pyroxenes.
Orthoclase, or orthoclase feldspar (endmember formula K Al Si 3 O 8), is an important tectosilicate mineral which forms igneous rock. The name is from the Ancient Greek for "straight fracture", because its two cleavage planes are at right angles to each other. It is a type of potassium feldspar, also known as K-feldspar.
Muscovite. Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica[6]) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl 2 (Al Si 3 O 10) (F,O H) 2, or (KF) 2 (Al 2 O 3) 3 (SiO 2) 6 (H 2 O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage yielding remarkably thin laminae (sheets) which are often highly elastic.
Fracture (mineralogy) In the field of mineralogy, fracture is the texture and shape of a rock's surface formed when a mineral is fractured. Minerals often have a highly distinctive fracture, making it a principal feature used in their identification. Fracture differs from cleavage in that the latter involves clean splitting along the cleavage ...
Plagioclase displaying cleavage. (unknown scale) In volcanic rocks, fine-grained plagioclase can display a "microlitic" texture of many small crystals. Plagioclase (/ ˈ p l æ dʒ (i) ə ˌ k l eɪ s, ˈ p l eɪ dʒ-,-ˌ k l eɪ z / PLAJ-(ee)-ə-klayss, PLAYJ-, -klayz) [4] is a series of tectosilicate (framework silicate) minerals within the feldspar group.
Sphalerite possesses perfect dodecahedral cleavage, having six cleavage planes. [10] [18] In pure form, it is a semiconductor, but transitions to a conductor as the iron content increases. [19] It has a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. [20]