FractureFracture is the cracking or breaking into pieces of an object or material under the action of stress. The science of fracture is a field of study in physics, metallurgy and engineering. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid.
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 microscope and to the naked eye. If bonds in certain directions are weaker than others, the crystal will tend to split along the weakly bonded planes.
Amorphous solidIn condensed matter physics and materials science, an amorphous solid (or non-crystalline solid) is a solid that lacks the long-range order that is a characteristic of a crystal. The terms "glass" and "glassy solid" are sometimes used synonymously with amorphous solid; however, these terms refer specifically to amorphous materials that undergo a glass transition. Examples of amorphous solids include glasses, metallic glasses, and certain types of plastics and polymers.
FlintFlint, occasionally flintstone (SiO2), is a sedimentarycryptocrystalline form of the mineralquartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marlylimestone. 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. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey or black, green, white, or brown in colour, and has a glassy or waxy appearance.CrystalliteA crystallite is a small or even microscopic crystal which forms, for example, during the cooling of many materials. Crystallites are also referred to as grains. Bacillite is a long thin needle-shaped a crystallite. It is rodlike with parallel . StructureThe orientation of crystallites can be random with no preferred direction, called random texture, or directed, possibly due to growth and processing conditions.
JasperJasper is an opaque type of silica that comes in a variety of colors, most commonly red, yellow, brown, green, and very rarely blue. It is made mostly of very fine-grained quartz or chalcedony, with other minerals contributing to its color and appearance. The common reddish color is due to ironinclusions. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone.
QuartzQuartz is a hard mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). Its atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen atom being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2. Therefore, quartz is classified structurally as a framework silicate mineral and compositionally as an oxide mineral. Quartz is the second most common mineral or mineral group in Earth's lithosphere, comprising about 12% by mass.
ChertChert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a chemical precipitate or a diagenetic replacement, as in petrified wood. Where chert occurs in chalk or marl, it is usually called flint.
QuartziteQuartzite is a hard, non-foliatedmetamorphic rock that was originally pure quartzsandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts, and hence quartzite is a metasandstone. Pure quartzite is usually white to grey, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink and red due to varying amounts of hematite.
Mindat.orgMindat.org is a non-commercial interactive online database covering minerals around the world. Originally created by Jolyon Ralph as a private project in 1993, it was launched as a community-editable website in October 2000. As of 2023 it is operated by the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. HistoryMindat was started in 1993 as a personal database project by Jolyon Ralph.
BrittlenessA material is brittle if, when subjected to stress, it fractures with little elastic deformation and without significant plastic deformation. Brittle materials absorb relatively little energy prior to fracture, even those of high strength. Breaking is often accompanied by a sharp snapping sound. When used in materials science, it is generally applied to materials that fail when there is little or no plastic deformation before failure.
Silicon dioxideOxide of siliconChemical compoundSilicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formulaSiO2, and is commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant families of materials, existing as a compound of several minerals and as a synthetic product. Examples include fused quartz, fumed silica, opal, and aerogels.
percussRelated word or term.fissureRelated word or term.conchoidRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.