Where are crystals found?
Crystals are found everywhere, all around us. There are crystals in the kitchen called salt and sugar. There are crystals at the beach called sand. Mountains are full of crystals. Snowflakes are water vapor frozen into crystals. There are crystals inside caves, hanging from the ceiling and coming up from the floor. Crystals are found everywhere, if you are paying attention. Why are they important? Crystals are used in many types of tools from pencils to computers. Some crystals, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and opals are called gemstones and can be worn as jewelry. But, diamonds can also be used as cutting tools because of the hardness. Much of modern technology depends on the use of crystals. Quartz crystals are used in watches. Crystals of silver salts, which are light sensitive, are used in photography. Liquid crystals are used in calculators and clocks for number displays. How are they categorized? Crystallography has developed terminology which, when applied to crystals, can
” Crystals form almost anywhere atoms occur, from deep in the earth to high in the atmosphere, said Ed Duke, Ph.D., professor of geology and geological engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City. Nature uses a special recipe for crystals. A liquid solution or vapor is the ingredient that all crystals have in common. Crystals are formed by atoms — the very smallest particles of all elements. The way the atoms are structured identifies that element. All crystal atoms are structured in a certain way, and the structure is very orderly. “Atoms, of course, are too small to see, but that is why large crystals sometimes have orderly or symmetrical arrangements of crystal faces. We see them as smooth, flat surfaces that are parallel to a plane of atoms in the crystal,” Duke said. There are many kinds of crystals found in nature. Salt, sugar, minerals, even the atmosphere can create crystals. Atmospheric crystals are known as frost and snow. “In order to form, the crystal mus
All over the world! Quartz crystals like Tobys can be found in Africa, Austria, Australia, China, Croatia, the Himalayas, India, Italy, Madagascar, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South America, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and The U.S.A. Crystals grow in clefts, caverns, caves and corridors deep within the Earth, and in countries with the right conditions, such as Brazil, huge quantities of quartz can be found. Quartz is not the only crystal, there are very many varieties. Some are formed under immense pressure and heat within the Earth, such as garnet, ruby, sapphire and tiger eye. Over centuries, rain, frost, heat, ice, sun and storms cause rocks to break up on mountain sides, they roll down into rivers and are carried with the current, breaking down into pebbles which dry out and form new minerals, such as calcite, pyrite, malachite and turquoise. Some crystals found in the Earth are thousands or even millions of years old !
