Why do certain minerals usually break along flat surfaces?

Why do certain minerals usually break along flat surfaces?

Cleavage – The tendency of a mineral to break along flat planar surfaces as determined by the structure of its crystal lattice. These two-dimensional surfaces are known as cleavage planes and are caused by the alignment of weaker bonds between atoms in the crystal lattice.

What is the breaking of a mineral along flat surfaces?

Cleavage is a tendency to break along flat surfaces.

When a mineral breaks into pieces that are uneven it is called?

Fracture is when a mineral breaks along uneven surfaces. An example of fracture is Galena. Galena does not break along even surfaces. You could not break it into flat pieces.

What property is shown by a feldspar as it breaks into pieces with jagged edges?

Fibrous and splintery – similar to the way wood breaks. Hackly – jagged fractures with sharp edges….Density (Specific Gravity)

Why do some minerals break unevenly?

Cleavage planes form along the weakest area of mineral’s structure. If you break a mineral with a hammer it will always split along its weakest points. If a mineral’s structure is equally strong in all directions it will not have any cleavage planes. Instead it will break unevenly, or fracture.

When a mineral breaks along a jagged or uneven surface the mineral has?

Chapter 3 Terms (Minerals)

Which of the following mineral shows phosphorescence?

The only Franklin mineral showing strong phosphorescence is willemite. It is well known that these phenomena are rarely given by pure materials but are caused by the presence of impurities of some sort generally in very small amounts.

Which of the following characteristics refers to the tendency of minerals to break forming smooth surfaces?

The tendency of a mineral to break along smooth flat surfaces is called cleavage. Cleavage is one of the properties of a mineral.