Selmbrinka

How to Read a Ternary Diagram Geology the Easy Way

how to read a ternary diagram the easy way

The ternary diagram geology uses to show the relationships between similar minerals come up a lot in my silicates articles. Ternary diagrams can describe ANY relationship with three related components. It looks like a triangle with different chemical formulas of rocks at the corners. Understanding how to read the ternary diagrams is like reading a […]

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Olivine Crystal Structure: Earth’s Simple Starter Mineral

olivine crystal structure earths starter mineral

Olivine crystal structure is foundational for its own significant forms and processes in the Earth. The Earth is mostly made of elements silicon and oxygen, when mixed with smaller amounts of other elements silicate minerals form. The backbone of silicate minerals is the silicon-oxygen tetrahedra. Olivine has tetrahedra that are set loose from one another,

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Different Types of Silicate Minerals List: The Most Special Examples

Here is a different types of silicate minerals list where you’ll learn what a silicate mineral is and why they are important. Here there are lists of categories, families, and classes of silicate minerals with their crystal structures. Overall what makes a mineral a silicate is the presence of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra as the building blocks.

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What is a Tetrahedron shape? Everything You Need to Know

what is a tetrahedron shape

Tetrahedron is a word that sounds very fancy and maybe you know the basic shape is a triangular pyramid. But what is a tetrahedron shape and is it just as fancy as the word? I found all the most interesting features of tetrahedra (which is the plural of tetrahedron), without too much cumbersome jargon so

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Magnetic Hysteresis Loop Explained: The Most Hysterical Thing I’ve Seen

magnetic hysteresis loop explained

The magnetic hysteresis loop shows the characteristic “memory” of a magnetic material. Some materials hold on the field they’ve been in, not giving up the magnetism they’ve gained. Other materials could care less one way or another. Even if you’ve never heard of the magnetic hysteresis loop, you’ll probably learn something interesting here. When rocks

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