All crystals grow in one of these six shapes on the microscopic level. Remember, however, that minerals can grow in many different ways. For many minerals, crystals that clearly resemble the crystal system are rarer than crystals that don't!
 |
Cubic System |
 |
Monoclinic System |
 |
Tetrahedral System |
 |
Triclinic System |
 |
Orthorhombic System |  |
Hexagonal System |
Back to Geology Reference