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Minerals and the crystalline state
Minerals and the crystalline state

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Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • give, with an appropriate example, the meaning of the terms phase, phase boundary and phase transformation, and interpret stability fields in terms of pressures and/or temperatures using a phase diagram

  • describe and recognise, giving examples, various physical properties of minerals, including lustre, cleavage, hardness and density

  • describe, giving mineral examples, the main differences between metallic, ionic and covalent structures and their type of bonding

  • explain the significance of various types of defects in crystals

  • explain the meaning of the terms lattice, unit cell, reflections and rotational symmetry, and how these relate to crystal systems.