How many different crystal shapes are there?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. How many different crystal shapes are there?

The Big Idea

Crystals come in many shapes! But scientists sort them into just seven groups. Let's meet the crystal families.

Seven Groups

Step one: Seven Groups. Scientists sort crystals into seven main groups, called crystal systems, based on the shape of their repeating box. They are cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, trigonal, monoclinic, and triclinic.

Examples

Step two: Examples. Table salt is cubic. Quartz crystals look six-sided, but they belong to the trigonal group, while beryl is hexagonal.

Thousands

Step three: Thousands. There are thousands of kinds of minerals. But they all fit into these seven families.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! Cubes are cubic. Stretched cubes are tetragonal. Six-sided are hexagonal. Three-fold are trigonal.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Some crystal systems look like a stretched or tilted cube. Salt is cubic. Quartz is trigonal. Beryl is hexagonal.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Make a cube from paper. Then make a box with one side stretched. Compare the two. Which crystal system might each one match? Try tilting one too.

Outro

Scientists sort crystals into seven crystal systems based on the shape of their repeating box, like cubic for salt and trigonal for quartz. Thousands of minerals all fit these seven families. Every crystal has a family. Science is amazing! Keep asking questions! The more you look around, the more wonders you will find, so keep your eyes open! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!