What's Cleavage in Minerals?
Cleavage, Tendency of a Crystalline Substance to Split into Fragments Bounded by Plane Surfaces. Although Cleavage Surfaces Are Seldom as Flat as Crystal...
Cleavage, tendency of a crystalline substance to split into fragments bounded by plane surfaces. Although cleavage surfaces are seldom as flat as crystal faces, the angles between them are highly characteristic and valuable in identifying a crystalline material.
How do you identify mineral cleavage?
To determine the angle of cleavage, look at the intersection of cleavage planes. Commonly, cleavage planes will intersect at 60°, 90° (right angles), or 120°. Be cautious when you see a flat surface on a mineral – not every flat surface is a cleavage plane.
What is cleavage in minerals examples?
These flat breaks are termed "cleavage." The classic example of cleavage is mica, which cleaves in a single direction along the basal pinacoid, making the layers seem like pages in a book. In fact mineralogists often refer to "books of mica." Diamond and graphite provide examples of cleavage.
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