The New Jersey State Museum is located at 195-205 West State Street in Trenton , in the U.S. state of New Jersey . The museum's collections include natural history specimens, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, and cultural history and fine art objects. Exhibitions, educational activities, research programs, and lectures are also offered. The museum, a division of the New Jersey Department of State , includes a 140-seat planetarium and a 384-seat auditorium.
66-512: The New Jersey State Museum received initial accreditation in 1974 from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and has maintained its status since that time, with its accreditation renewed in 2019. The museum is one of nine in the state to be accredited by the AAM. The New Jersey State Museum was the first state museum in the country to be established with a specific focus on educating the public and
132-585: A bend in the middle that is caused by start of the twin. Penetration twins consist of two single crystals that have grown into each other; examples of this twinning include cross-shaped staurolite twins and Carlsbad twinning in orthoclase. Cyclic twins are caused by repeated twinning around a rotation axis. This type of twinning occurs around three, four, five, six, or eight-fold axes, and the corresponding patterns are called threelings, fourlings, fivelings , sixlings, and eightlings. Sixlings are common in aragonite. Polysynthetic twins are similar to cyclic twins through
198-417: A bigger coordination numbers because of the increase in relative size as compared to oxygen (the last orbital subshell of heavier atoms is different too). Changes in coordination numbers leads to physical and mineralogical differences; for example, at high pressure, such as in the mantle , many minerals, especially silicates such as olivine and garnet , will change to a perovskite structure , where silicon
264-416: A definite crystalline structure, such as opal or obsidian , are more properly called mineraloids . If a chemical compound occurs naturally with different crystal structures, each structure is considered a different mineral species. Thus, for example, quartz and stishovite are two different minerals consisting of the same compound, silicon dioxide . The International Mineralogical Association (IMA)
330-470: A distinct mineral: The details of these rules are somewhat controversial. For instance, there have been several recent proposals to classify amorphous substances as minerals, but they have not been accepted by the IMA. The IMA is also reluctant to accept minerals that occur naturally only in the form of nanoparticles a few hundred atoms across, but has not defined a minimum crystal size. Some authors require
396-463: A key to defining a substance as a mineral. A 2011 article defined icosahedrite , an aluminium-iron-copper alloy, as a mineral; named for its unique natural icosahedral symmetry , it is a quasicrystal . Unlike a true crystal, quasicrystals are ordered but not periodic. A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids. Some rocks, such as limestone or quartzite , are composed primarily of one mineral – calcite or aragonite in
462-409: A mineral defines how much it can resist scratching or indentation. This physical property is controlled by the chemical composition and crystalline structure of a mineral. The most commonly used scale of measurement is the ordinal Mohs hardness scale, which measures resistance to scratching. Defined by ten indicators, a mineral with a higher index scratches those below it. The scale ranges from talc,
528-432: A sedimentary mineral, and silicic acid ): Under low-grade metamorphic conditions, kaolinite reacts with quartz to form pyrophyllite (Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 ): As metamorphic grade increases, the pyrophyllite reacts to form kyanite and quartz: Alternatively, a mineral may change its crystal structure as a consequence of changes in temperature and pressure without reacting. For example, quartz will change into
594-598: A systematic study skin component. Sub-collections include pinned insects , fluid-preserved fauna , taxidermy mounts, and glass lantern slides. The bureau is also the repository for about 300 types of specimens of Paleozoic and Mesozoic fossils , as well as fossils documenting the Paleozoic strata within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area . Minerals from the zinc -mining locality of Franklin-Sterling Hill are represented, including
660-406: A tetrahedral fashion; on the other hand, graphite is composed of sheets of carbons in sp hybrid orbitals, where each carbon is bonded covalently to only three others. These sheets are held together by much weaker van der Waals forces , and this discrepancy translates to large macroscopic differences. Twinning is the intergrowth of two or more crystals of a single mineral species. The geometry of
726-935: A variety of its SiO 2 polymorphs , such as tridymite and cristobalite at high temperatures, and coesite at high pressures. Classifying minerals ranges from simple to difficult. A mineral can be identified by several physical properties, some of them being sufficient for full identification without equivocation. In other cases, minerals can only be classified by more complex optical , chemical or X-ray diffraction analysis; these methods, however, can be costly and time-consuming. Physical properties applied for classification include crystal structure and habit, hardness, lustre, diaphaneity, colour, streak, cleavage and fracture, and specific gravity. Other less general tests include fluorescence , phosphorescence , magnetism , radioactivity , tenacity (response to mechanical induced changes of shape or form), piezoelectricity and reactivity to dilute acids . Crystal structure results from
SECTION 10
#1732851840247792-498: A variety of minerals because of the need to balance charges. Because the eight most common elements make up over 98% of the Earth's crust, the small quantities of the other elements that are typically present are substituted into the common rock-forming minerals. The distinctive minerals of most elements are quite rare, being found only where these elements have been concentrated by geological processes, such as hydrothermal circulation , to
858-595: A white mica, can be used for windows (sometimes referred to as isinglass), as a filler, or as an insulator. Ores are minerals that have a high concentration of a certain element, typically a metal. Examples are cinnabar (HgS), an ore of mercury; sphalerite (ZnS), an ore of zinc; cassiterite (SnO 2 ), an ore of tin; and colemanite , an ore of boron . Gems are minerals with an ornamental value, and are distinguished from non-gems by their beauty, durability, and usually, rarity. There are about 20 mineral species that qualify as gem minerals, which constitute about 35 of
924-429: Is a purple variety of the mineral species quartz . Some mineral species can have variable proportions of two or more chemical elements that occupy equivalent positions in the mineral's structure; for example, the formula of mackinawite is given as (Fe,Ni) 9 S 8 , meaning Fe x Ni 9- x S 8 , where x is a variable number between 0 and 9. Sometimes a mineral with variable composition
990-707: Is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of organically derived carbon. In rocks, some mineral species and groups are much more abundant than others; these are termed the rock-forming minerals. The major examples of these are quartz, the feldspars , the micas , the amphiboles , the pyroxenes , the olivines , and calcite; except for the last one, all of these minerals are silicates. Overall, around 150 minerals are considered particularly important, whether in terms of their abundance or aesthetic value in terms of collecting. Commercially valuable minerals and rocks, other than gemstones, metal ores, or mineral fuels, are referred to as industrial minerals . For example, muscovite ,
1056-445: Is in octahedral coordination. Other examples are the aluminosilicates kyanite , andalusite , and sillimanite (polymorphs, since they share the formula Al 2 SiO 5 ), which differ by the coordination number of the Al ; these minerals transition from one another as a response to changes in pressure and temperature. In the case of silicate materials, the substitution of Si by Al allows for
1122-644: Is one of the oldest state museums in the nation. The New Jersey Legislature formally established the museum by law in 1895, and the museum was housed in the New Jersey State House. The museum is a division of the New Jersey Department of State. In its beginning, the museum focused on natural history. The first major collections were of rocks, minerals , and fossils from the New Jersey Geological Survey, which began in 1836. In 1912,
1188-408: Is possible for one element to be substituted for another. Chemical substitution will occur between ions of a similar size and charge; for example, K will not substitute for Si because of chemical and structural incompatibilities caused by a big difference in size and charge. A common example of chemical substitution is that of Si by Al , which are close in charge, size, and abundance in the crust. In
1254-470: Is possible for two rocks to have an identical or a very similar bulk rock chemistry without having a similar mineralogy. This process of mineralogical alteration is related to the rock cycle . An example of a series of mineral reactions is illustrated as follows. Orthoclase feldspar (KAlSi 3 O 8 ) is a mineral commonly found in granite , a plutonic igneous rock . When exposed to weathering, it reacts to form kaolinite (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 ,
1320-653: Is split into separate species, more or less arbitrarily, forming a mineral group ; that is the case of the silicates Ca x Mg y Fe 2- x - y SiO 4 , the olivine group . Besides the essential chemical composition and crystal structure, the description of a mineral species usually includes its common physical properties such as habit , hardness , lustre , diaphaneity , colour, streak , tenacity , cleavage , fracture , parting, specific gravity , magnetism , fluorescence , radioactivity , as well as its taste or smell and its reaction to acid . Minerals are classified by key chemical constituents;
1386-524: Is the angle opposite the a-axis, viz. the angle between the b and c axes): The hexagonal crystal family is also split into two crystal systems – the trigonal , which has a three-fold axis of symmetry, and the hexagonal, which has a six-fold axis of symmetry. Chemistry and crystal structure together define a mineral. With a restriction to 32 point groups, minerals of different chemistry may have identical crystal structure. For example, halite (NaCl), galena (PbS), and periclase (MgO) all belong to
SECTION 20
#17328518402471452-422: Is the generally recognized standard body for the definition and nomenclature of mineral species. As of November 2024 , the IMA recognizes 6,100 official mineral species. The chemical composition of a named mineral species may vary somewhat due to the inclusion of small amounts of impurities. Specific varieties of a species sometimes have conventional or official names of their own. For example, amethyst
1518-405: Is the hardest natural substance, has an adamantine lustre, and belongs to the isometric crystal family, whereas graphite is very soft, has a greasy lustre, and crystallises in the hexagonal family. This difference is accounted for by differences in bonding. In diamond, the carbons are in sp hybrid orbitals, which means they form a framework where each carbon is covalently bonded to four neighbours in
1584-456: Is typical of garnet, prismatic (elongated in one direction), and tabular, which differs from bladed habit in that the former is platy whereas the latter has a defined elongation. Related to crystal form, the quality of crystal faces is diagnostic of some minerals, especially with a petrographic microscope. Euhedral crystals have a defined external shape, while anhedral crystals do not; those intermediate forms are termed subhedral. The hardness of
1650-809: The American Association of Museums , is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward." AAM represents the scope of museums, professionals, and nonpaid staff who work for and with museums. AAM represents more than 25,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, 4,000 institutions, and 150 corporate members. Individual members include directors, curators , registrars, educators, exhibit designers, public relations officers, development officers, security managers, trustees, and volunteers . Museums represented by
1716-614: The CIPW norm , which gives reasonable estimates for volcanic rock formed from dry magma. The chemical composition may vary between end member species of a solid solution series. For example, the plagioclase feldspars comprise a continuous series from sodium -rich end member albite (NaAlSi 3 O 8 ) to calcium -rich anorthite (CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 ) with four recognized intermediate varieties between them (given in order from sodium- to calcium-rich): oligoclase , andesine , labradorite , and bytownite . Other examples of series include
1782-585: The New Jersey State Capitol 's collection of military flags used by New Jersey regiments in the Civil War and World War I . The State Museum has collected over 12,000 works of art including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs. The collection has an American focus that highlights the work of New Jersey artists within the context of American art history. Also included are works that depict New Jersey scenes and events. The strengths of
1848-496: The hydrosphere , atmosphere , and biosphere . The group's scope includes mineral-forming microorganisms, which exist on nearly every rock, soil, and particle surface spanning the globe to depths of at least 1600 metres below the sea floor and 70 kilometres into the stratosphere (possibly entering the mesosphere ). Biogeochemical cycles have contributed to the formation of minerals for billions of years. Microorganisms can precipitate metals from solution , contributing to
1914-451: The 78 mineral classes listed in the Dana classification scheme. Skinner's (2005) definition of a mineral takes this matter into account by stating that a mineral can be crystalline or amorphous. Although biominerals are not the most common form of minerals, they help to define the limits of what constitutes a mineral proper. Nickel's (1995) formal definition explicitly mentioned crystallinity as
1980-557: The Brodsky Center. The Fine Art History Bureau also has curatorial responsibility for the State House Portrait Collection which includes portraits of New Jersey's governors, jurists, and other state officials. The Bureau of Natural History holds a collection of about 250,000 specimens, including industrial minerals and ores , paleontological specimens (fossils), osteological specimens (bones), modern shells, and
2046-577: The Fine Art collection lie in works by the American modernists associated with Alfred Stieglitz , American abstract artists of the 1930s and 1940s, a comprehensive collection of works by 19th through 21st-century African-American artists, contemporary American and New Jersey art, the complete graphic outputs of Ben Shahn and Jacob Landau and print and paper work by the New Jersey Fellows associated with
New Jersey State Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue
2112-431: The IMA's decision to exclude biogenic crystalline substances. For example, Lowenstam (1981) stated that "organisms are capable of forming a diverse array of minerals, some of which cannot be formed inorganically in the biosphere." Skinner (2005) views all solids as potential minerals and includes biominerals in the mineral kingdom, which are those that are created by the metabolic activities of organisms. Skinner expanded
2178-455: The IMA. They are most commonly named after a person , followed by discovery location; names based on chemical composition or physical properties are the two other major groups of mineral name etymologies. Most names end in "-ite"; the exceptions are usually names that were well-established before the organization of mineralogy as a discipline, for example galena and diamond . A topic of contention among geologists and mineralogists has been
2244-548: The Latin species , "a particular sort, kind, or type with distinct look, or appearance". The abundance and diversity of minerals is controlled directly by their chemistry, in turn dependent on elemental abundances in the Earth. The majority of minerals observed are derived from the Earth's crust . Eight elements account for most of the key components of minerals, due to their abundance in the crust. These eight elements, summing to over 98% of
2310-738: The National Museum in Washington, D.C. , on December 21, 1905, for the "purpose of discussing the advisability of endeavoring to establish an association of the museums of America." Major events in the history of the Alliance include: Media and Technology (M&T) is a Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). The M&T Network is the AAM link between museums and media technologies. It identifies, examines, and advocates appropriate uses of media technologies in helping museums meet
2376-531: The State Museum's planetarium has been a large part of the museum's public programming. The planetarium is equipped with "Full Dome" video technology. Exhibits include displays of constellations , Solar System models, and space exploration experiences. The planetarium presents public shows on weekends, during school vacation periods (spring and winter), and during the summer. American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums ( AAM ), formerly
2442-535: The acquisition of these objects, the museum started its ethnographic collections. In 1924, decorative arts were added to the museum with examples from the Trenton-area ceramics industry. In 1929, the museum moved into a larger space in the newly constructed State House Annex. While fine art had been exhibited and acquired through the mid-20th century, the museum began a greater emphasis in the early 1960s on acquiring paintings , sculpture and works on paper. In 1964,
2508-488: The aluminium abundance is unusually high, the excess aluminium will form muscovite or other aluminium-rich minerals. If silicon is deficient, part of the feldspar will be replaced by feldspathoid minerals. Precise predictions of which minerals will be present in a rock of a particular composition formed at a particular temperature and pressure requires complex thermodynamic calculations. However, approximate estimates may be made using relatively simple rules of thumb , such as
2574-449: The bulk chemistry of the parent body. For example, in most igneous rocks, the aluminium and alkali metals (sodium and potassium) that are present are primarily found in combination with oxygen, silicon, and calcium as feldspar minerals. However, if the rock is unusually rich in alkali metals, there will not be enough aluminium to combine with all the sodium as feldspar, and the excess sodium will form sodic amphiboles such as riebeckite . If
2640-424: The case of limestone, and quartz in the latter case. Other rocks can be defined by relative abundances of key (essential) minerals; a granite is defined by proportions of quartz, alkali feldspar , and plagioclase feldspar . The other minerals in the rock are termed accessory minerals , and do not greatly affect the bulk composition of the rock. Rocks can also be composed entirely of non-mineral material; coal
2706-415: The coordination of the silicate is by a number: in the case of the silica tetrahedron, the silicon is said to have a coordination number of 4. Various cations have a specific range of possible coordination numbers; for silicon, it is almost always 4, except for very high-pressure minerals where the compound is compressed such that silicon is in six-fold (octahedral) coordination with oxygen. Bigger cations have
New Jersey State Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue
2772-417: The crust by weight, are, in order of decreasing abundance: oxygen , silicon , aluminium , iron , magnesium , calcium , sodium and potassium . Oxygen and silicon are by far the two most important – oxygen composes 47% of the crust by weight, and silicon accounts for 28%. The minerals that form are those that are most stable at the temperature and pressure of formation, within the limits imposed by
2838-434: The difference in charge has to accounted for by making a second substitution of Si by Al . Coordination polyhedra are geometric representations of how a cation is surrounded by an anion. In mineralogy, coordination polyhedra are usually considered in terms of oxygen, due its abundance in the crust. The base unit of silicate minerals is the silica tetrahedron – one Si surrounded by four O . An alternate way of describing
2904-414: The dipyramidal point group. These differences arise corresponding to how aluminium is coordinated within the crystal structure. In all minerals, one aluminium ion is always in six-fold coordination with oxygen. Silicon, as a general rule, is in four-fold coordination in all minerals; an exception is a case like stishovite (SiO 2 , an ultra-high pressure quartz polymorph with rutile structure). In kyanite,
2970-517: The example of plagioclase, there are three cases of substitution. Feldspars are all framework silicates, which have a silicon-oxygen ratio of 2:1, and the space for other elements is given by the substitution of Si by Al to give a base unit of [AlSi 3 O 8 ] ; without the substitution, the formula would be charge-balanced as SiO 2 , giving quartz. The significance of this structural property will be explained further by coordination polyhedra. The second substitution occurs between Na and Ca ; however,
3036-745: The formation of ore deposits. They can also catalyze the dissolution of minerals. Prior to the International Mineralogical Association's listing, over 60 biominerals had been discovered, named, and published. These minerals (a sub-set tabulated in Lowenstam (1981) ) are considered minerals proper according to Skinner's (2005) definition. These biominerals are not listed in the International Mineral Association official list of mineral names; however, many of these biomineral representatives are distributed amongst
3102-410: The generic AX 2 formula; these two groups are collectively known as the pyrite and marcasite groups. Polymorphism can extend beyond pure symmetry content. The aluminosilicates are a group of three minerals – kyanite , andalusite , and sillimanite – which share the chemical formula Al 2 SiO 5 . Kyanite is triclinic, while andalusite and sillimanite are both orthorhombic and belong to
3168-451: The hexaoctahedral point group (isometric family), as they have a similar stoichiometry between their different constituent elements. In contrast, polymorphs are groupings of minerals that share a chemical formula but have a different structure. For example, pyrite and marcasite , both iron sulfides, have the formula FeS 2 ; however, the former is isometric while the latter is orthorhombic. This polymorphism extends to other sulfides with
3234-510: The largest number of fluorescent mineral species in the world, as are mine-specific specimens from New Jersey's industrial iron mining history. Specimens from beyond New Jersey are used for comparative purposes in exhibitions and educational programming. The museum's Bureau of Education offers programs and events. School groups attend museum-based classes, workshops, exhibition tours, and planetarium programs, as well as access classroom resources such as curriculum guides. Since its opening in 1964,
3300-461: The material to be a stable or metastable solid at room temperature (25 °C). However, the IMA only requires that the substance be stable enough for its structure and composition to be well-determined. For example, it has recently recognized meridianiite (a naturally occurring hydrate of magnesium sulfate ) as a mineral, even though it is formed and stable only below 2 °C. As of November 2024 , 6,100 mineral species are approved by
3366-505: The members include art , history, science , military, maritime, and youth museums , as well as public aquariums , zoos , botanical gardens , arboretums , historic sites, and science and technology centers. At the 2014 American Alliance of Museums conference, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced there are now at least 35,000 museums in the US. An informal meeting was held at
SECTION 50
#17328518402473432-489: The most common gemstones. Gem minerals are often present in several varieties, and so one mineral can account for several different gemstones; for example, ruby and sapphire are both corundum , Al 2 O 3 . The first known use of the word "mineral" in the English language ( Middle English ) was the 15th century. The word came from Medieval Latin : minerale , from minera , mine, ore. The word "species" comes from
3498-428: The most encompassing of these being the six crystal families. These families can be described by the relative lengths of the three crystallographic axes, and the angles between them; these relationships correspond to the symmetry operations that define the narrower point groups. They are summarized below; a, b, and c represent the axes, and α, β, γ represent the angle opposite the respective crystallographic axis (e.g. α
3564-486: The museum expanded its focus to include archaeology through the acquisition of artifacts produced by Native Americans in the region. These artifacts dated from the prehistoric and historic periods as well as from New Jersey's populations during the Colonial and post-colonial eras. In 1922, the museum was one of the first on the east coast to exhibit, as art, a collection of objects from Native Americans of North America. With
3630-664: The museum moved from the State House Annex into facilities created specifically for it within the newly created Capitol Cultural Complex. The museum's main building consists of four floors of exhibition, program, laboratory, and research space, a planetarium , and a museum gift shop. An adjacent building contains an auditorium, as well as additional gallery spaces. The Bureau of Archaeology/Ethnography collections encompass approximately 2.4 million prehistoric and historic specimens acquired by 100 years of excavation, as well as almost 4,000 ethnographic objects acquired through gifts to
3696-482: The museum. The ethnographic collection consists of specimens that represent the Lenape and other North American indigenous groups. The Bureau of Cultural History collection includes over 13,000 artifacts documenting New Jersey's cultural , economic , military , political , and social history , as well as aspects of its decorative arts . The Cultural History Bureau also oversees the preservation and interpretation of
3762-552: The needs of their public. Membership is limited to institutions or individuals that are members of AAM. Mineral In geology and mineralogy , a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form. The geological definition of mineral normally excludes compounds that occur only in living organisms. However, some minerals are often biogenic (such as calcite ) or organic compounds in
3828-402: The olivine series of magnesium-rich forsterite and iron-rich fayalite, and the wolframite series of manganese -rich hübnerite and iron-rich ferberite . Chemical substitution and coordination polyhedra explain this common feature of minerals. In nature, minerals are not pure substances, and are contaminated by whatever other elements are present in the given chemical system. As a result, it
3894-622: The orderly geometric spatial arrangement of atoms in the internal structure of a mineral. This crystal structure is based on regular internal atomic or ionic arrangement that is often expressed in the geometric form that the crystal takes. Even when the mineral grains are too small to see or are irregularly shaped, the underlying crystal structure is always periodic and can be determined by X-ray diffraction. Minerals are typically described by their symmetry content. Crystals are restricted to 32 point groups , which differ by their symmetry. These groups are classified in turn into more broad categories,
3960-563: The point where they can no longer be accommodated in common minerals. Changes in temperature and pressure and composition alter the mineralogy of a rock sample. Changes in composition can be caused by processes such as weathering or metasomatism ( hydrothermal alteration ). Changes in temperature and pressure occur when the host rock undergoes tectonic or magmatic movement into differing physical regimes. Changes in thermodynamic conditions make it favourable for mineral assemblages to react with each other to produce new minerals; as such, it
4026-447: The presence of repetitive twinning; however, instead of occurring around a rotational axis, polysynthetic twinning occurs along parallel planes, usually on a microscopic scale. Crystal habit refers to the overall shape of crystal. Several terms are used to describe this property. Common habits include acicular, which describes needlelike crystals as in natrolite , bladed, dendritic (tree-pattern, common in native copper ), equant, which
SECTION 60
#17328518402474092-560: The previous definition of a mineral to classify "element or compound, amorphous or crystalline, formed through biogeochemical processes," as a mineral. Recent advances in high-resolution genetics and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are providing revelations on the biogeochemical relations between microorganisms and minerals that may shed new light on this question. For example, the IMA-commissioned "Working Group on Environmental Mineralogy and Geochemistry " deals with minerals in
4158-485: The second aluminium is in six-fold coordination; its chemical formula can be expressed as Al Al SiO 5 , to reflect its crystal structure. Andalusite has the second aluminium in five-fold coordination (Al Al SiO 5 ) and sillimanite has it in four-fold coordination (Al Al SiO 5 ). Differences in crystal structure and chemistry greatly influence other physical properties of the mineral. The carbon allotropes diamond and graphite have vastly different properties; diamond
4224-505: The sense of chemistry (such as mellite ). Moreover, living organisms often synthesize inorganic minerals (such as hydroxylapatite ) that also occur in rocks. The concept of mineral is distinct from rock , which is any bulk solid geologic material that is relatively homogeneous at a large enough scale. A rock may consist of one type of mineral or may be an aggregate of two or more different types of minerals, spacially segregated into distinct phases . Some natural solid substances without
4290-439: The twinning is controlled by the mineral's symmetry. As a result, there are several types of twins, including contact twins, reticulated twins, geniculated twins, penetration twins, cyclic twins, and polysynthetic twins. Contact, or simple twins, consist of two crystals joined at a plane; this type of twinning is common in spinel. Reticulated twins, common in rutile, are interlocking crystals resembling netting. Geniculated twins have
4356-468: The two dominant systems are the Dana classification and the Strunz classification. Silicate minerals comprise approximately 90% of the Earth's crust . Other important mineral groups include the native elements , sulfides , oxides , halides , carbonates , sulfates , and phosphates . The International Mineralogical Association has established the following requirements for a substance to be considered
#246753