Crystal

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents, such as atoms, molecules or ions, are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macroscopic single crystals are usually identifiable by their geometrical shape, consisting of flat faces with specific, characteristic orientations.

The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called crystallization or solidification. The word crystal is derived from the Ancient Greek word κρύσταλλος (krustallos), meaning both “ice” and “rock crystal”, from κρύος (kruos), "icy cold, frost".

Examples of large crystals include snowflakes, diamonds, and table salt. Most inorganic solids are not crystals but polycrystals, i.e. many microscopic crystals fused together into a single solid. Examples of polycrystals include most metals, rocks, ceramics, and ice. A third category of solids is amorphous solids, where the atoms have no periodic structure whatsoever. Examples of amorphous solids include glass, wax, and many plastics.

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Latest News for: crystalline rock

At a ridiculously detailed showcase of the open-world engine behind the RPG Crimson Desert, I ...

Games Radar 01 Apr 2025
Water that could selectively dampen your horse's legs, for example, or, when struck with ice magic, conjure and fracture ice and send it drifting lazily downstream, colliding with rocks and piling up in little crystalline nests ... I had to know ... ....

Solitaire Riyadh welcomes Saudi art and champions creativity this Ramadan and beyond

Eye Of Riyadh 23 Mar 2025
  ...   ... The design takes inspiration from the geode - a natural rock formation with a jewelled, crystalline core, while 60-metre wind woes provide cool, fresh air to visitors year-round while doubling as design beacons for the destination ... .

What’s so special about Ukraine’s minerals? A geologist explains

Famagusta Gazette 17 Mar 2025
This massive, exposed crystalline rock formed over 2.5 billion years ago, stretches across much of Ukraine ... This is the extraction from salt solutions, such as seawater or saline lakes, which can be more expensive than hard-rock mining ... ....
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