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New page: '''Cleavage planes''' are common in crystalline minerals. They tend to follow weaker bonded lines through the crystal matrix, and lend a characteristic appearance to many minerals...
'''Cleavage planes''' are common in [[crystal]]line [[mineral]]s. They tend to follow weaker bonded lines through the crystal matrix, and lend a characteristic appearance to many minerals when they are fractured naturally or by a mineralogist.
The art of [[diamond]] cutting exploits the many possible cleavage planes in the diamond crystal in order to create a beautifully [[refraction|refractive]] [[gem]] from the raw material.
[[Graphite]], interestingly another pure [[carbon]] crystal, is so weakly linked between its layers that it is used as a [[lubricant]], since the layers slide readily over one another.
The art of [[diamond]] cutting exploits the many possible cleavage planes in the diamond crystal in order to create a beautifully [[refraction|refractive]] [[gem]] from the raw material.
[[Graphite]], interestingly another pure [[carbon]] crystal, is so weakly linked between its layers that it is used as a [[lubricant]], since the layers slide readily over one another.