Fracture
A break or chip, caused by stress, that is in any direction other than parallel to the planes of atoms in a crystalline mineral. The most common type of fracture appears shell like and is called conchoidal.
| Fracture | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Conchoidal Fracture | Has a curved shell-like appearance. This is the most commonly occurring type of fracture. | |
| 2 | Even Fracture | These are smooth in appearance but without the single plane regularity of cleavage. This can be seen in some types of quartz. | |
| 3. | Uneven Fracture | Similar to the edge of broken pottery. This can be found in most all minerals and rocks. | |
| 4. | Splintery Fracture | This is usually observed in nephrite and hematite. Sometimes this is referred to as fibrous. | |