Glossary - National Gem Lab

Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

a

Absolute Hardness

Absorption Spectra

Absorption spectrum

Accessory mineral

Accessory Plate

Acute bisectrix

Acute bisectrix figure (Bxa)

Aggregate (of crystals)

Alkali Feldspar

Alkaline earth element

Alluvial deposit

Ammonium hydroxide

Amphibole group

Amphibolite (facies)

Amphibolite (rock)

Angle of incidence

Angle of refraction

Anhydrous borates

Anhydrous sulfates

Anionic complex

Anomalous interference colors

Aqueous solution

Aragonite group

Asbestos amphibole

Association (mineral)

Atomic absorption spectrophotometer

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)

Atomic mass unit (amu)

Atomic number (Z)

Atomic structure

Atomical arrangement

Aufbau principle

Avogadro's number

Axis (crystallographic)

Axis (rotational)

Axis of symmetry

b

Backscatter electrons

Banded iron formation (BIF)

Barrovian facies series

Binary solution

Bipyramidal hexagon

Bipyramidal hexagonal

Bipyramidal hexagonal prism

Blueschist (rock)

Blueschist facies series

Blueschist(facies)

Bohr model of the atom

Bowen's reaction series

Bravais lattices

Bridging oxygen

Brilliant luster

Buchan facies series

Burial metamorphism

c

Carbonate(mineral)

Carbonate(radical)

Carbonate(rock)

Carbonation reaction

Cartesian coordinate system

Cassiterite twin

Cat's eye effect

Cataclastic metamorphism

Cathode ray tube

Cementation zone

Center of symmetry

Chain silicates

Characteristic radiation

Chemical composition

Chemical formula

Chemical precipitate

Chemical sedimentary rock

Chemical sediments

Chemical structure

Chemical weathering

Chrysoberyl twin

Clausius-Clapeyron equation

Clay (grain size)

Cleavage fragment

Cleavage surface

Cleaved surface

Clinopinacoidal

Closest packing

Colorimetric analysis

Composition plane

Compositional zoning

Compound(chemical)

Concentration factor

Conchoidal fractrue

Conoscopic illumination

Constructive interference

Contact aureole

Contact metamorphism

Contact twinning

Continuous radiation

Continuous side(Bowen's reaction series)

Coordinating polyhedron

Coordination number

Coupled substitution

Crossed polars (XP)

Cryptocrystalline

Crystal aggregate

Crystal classes

Crystal lattice

Crystal morphology

Crystal structure

Crystal structure determination

Crystal symmetry

Crystallization

Crystallographer

Crystallographic axis

Crystallographically

Crystallography

Cubic closest packing

Cubic octahedron

Cubic(cleavage)

Cubic(coordination)

Cyclic twinning

Cymophane effect

czochralski process

d

Daughter element

Daughter isotope

Decarbonation reaction

Degree of freedom

Dehydration reaction

Destructive interference

Detrital sedimentary rock

Devitrification

Diamond lattice

Diamondlike luster

Diffraction grating

Diffraction slit

Diffusion treatment

Discontinuous side(Bowen's reaction series)

Disseminated deposit

Divariant filed

Divergent(crystals)

Dodecahedral(coordination)

Double refraction

Double-chain silicates

Doubly primitive

Doubly terminated

Dry lake deposit

Dynamic metamorphism

e

Eclogite(facies)

Edge dislocation

Effective ionic radius

Electromagnetic radiation

Electrometallurgy

Electron microprobe

Electron microscope

Electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA)

Electronegativity

Electrostatic valency principle (Pauling's second rule)

Embedded crystal

Empirical formula

Enantiomorphic pair

Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)

Epithermal vein

Equidimensional

Essential mineral

Evaporite (mineral)

Evaporite (rock)

Evaporite deposit

Expandable clay

Exsolution lamellae

Extinct (mineral grain)

Extinct (X-ray peak)

Extinction (X-ray)

Extinction angle

Extraordinary ray (E ray)

Extraterrestrial

f

Facies (metamorphic)

Family of planes

Feldspathoid group

Fibrous (cleavage)

Fibrous(crystals)

Flexible and elastic

Flexible but inelastic

Floater crystal

Fluorescent lamp

Fluvial deposit

Fractional crystallization

Framework silicates

g

Gibbs free energy

Gibbs phase rule

Goldich's weathering series

Grade (metamorphic)

Granulite(facies)

Granulite(rock)

Gravimetric analysis

Greasy (luster)

Greenschist(facies)

Greenschist(rock)

Group (of elements)

Group(of minerals)

h

Hanawalt method

Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Hermann-Mauguin symbol

Hexagonal (system)

Hexagonal closest packing

Hexagonal packing

Hydration reaction

Hydrolysis reaction

Hydrothermal fluids

Hydrothermal ore deposit

i

Immersion method

Impurity defect

Inclined extinction

Incompatible element

Index of refraction

Index(X-ray pattern)

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP)

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Infrared spectroscopy

Integral molecules

Intensive variable

Interfacial angle

Interference colors

Intergranular fluid

Intermediate igneous rock

Internal energy (E)

Internal reflection

Invariant point

Inversion center

Ionic microprobe

Irregular (fracture)

Island silicate

Isolated tetrahedral silicates

Isomorphous series

j

Japanese law twin

Join (phase diagram)

k

K (alpha) radiation

l

Labradorescence

Law of definite proportions

Law of rational indices

Law of thermodynamics

Laws(scientific)

Lawsonite-albite (facies)

Layer silicates

Lineage structure

Linear (coordination)

Lithic fragment

Lower polarizer

m

Macroscopic property

Mass spectrometry

Mechanical weathering

Metal (element)

Metallic element

Metallic luster

Metamorphic facies

Metamorphic grade

Metamorphic series

Metamorphic zone

Metastable (thermodynamics)

Metastable equilibrium

Microscopic property

Miller index (indices)

Mineral formula

Miscibility gap

Mississippi valley-type deposit

Mode (igneous rock)

Mohs' hardness scale

Monochromatic radiation

Monoclinic (system)

Mossbauer spectroscopy

n

Native elements

Nepheline syenite

Network silicates

Non-crystalline

Nonmetal (native element)

Nonmetallic (elements)

Nonmetallic luster

Nonopaque (mineral)

Nonspecial angle

Numerical aperture

o

Obtuse bisectrix

Obtuse bisectrix figure (Bxo)

Octahedral (cleavage)

Octahedral (coordination)

Operation (symmetry)

Operator (symmetry)

Optic axis (OA) figure

Optic normal figure (ON)

Orbital (atomic)

Order of diffraction

Ordinary ray (O ray)

Orthorhombic (system)

Orthoscopic illumination

Ostwald ripening

p

Paired tetrahedral sillicates

Parallel extinction

Partial crystallization

Partial melting

Pauling's rules

Penetration twin

Period (of elements)

Petrographic microsocpe

Phosphate (mineral)

Phosphate (radical)

Phosphorescence

Phyllosilicates

Plane polarized

Plaster of paris

Platy (cleavage)

Platy (crystal)

Polarized (ion)

Polarized (wave)

Polarizing light microscope

Polysynthetic twinning

Porphyry (igneous rock)

Porphyry (ore deposit)

Portland cement

Powder diffraction

Powder Diffraction file (PDF)

Precambrian shield

Precious metals

Prehnite-pumpellyite (facies)

Primary mineral

Principle of parsimony (Pauling's fifth rule)

Prismatic (cleavage)

Prismatic (crystal)

Prograde metamorphism

Prograde reactions

Progressive metamorphism

Proper rotation axis

Pseudohexagonal

Pyramid cleavage

Pyroxene quadrilateral

Pyroxene-hornfels (facies)

q

r

Radius ratio principle (Pauling's first rule)

Raman spectroscopy

Rare earth elements

Recentrant angle

Recrystallization

Reflection (light)

Reflection (symmetry)

Refracted light microscopy

Refractive index

Refractive index oil

Regional metamorphism

Regular polyhedron

Relative hardness

Remnant heavy isotope

Residual (mineral)

Residual (phase)

Retrograde metamorphism

Retrograde reactions

Rhombohedral (point groups)

Rhombohedral plane lattice

Rietveld method

Rotational symmetry

s

Sanidinite (facies)

Sassuritization

Scanning electron microscope(SEM)

Schottky defect

Schrodinger wave model

Scientific theory

Screw dislocation

Secondary electrons

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)

Secondary mineral

Secondary radiation

Sedimentary rock

Sedimentation process

Semi-metallic elements

Semi-precious gemstone

Semimetal (element)

Semimetal (native element)

Sheet silicates

Shelly fracture

Shock metamorphism

Sign of elongation

simple substitution

Single chain silicates

solid solution series

solid state diffusion

solid-solid reaction

Space group operators

Specific gravity (G)

stability field

stable (thermodynamics)

stable equilibrium

Striation (twin)

Submetallic luster

Sulfate (mineral )

Sulfate (radical)

symmetrical extinction

symmetry (crystal)

symmetry element

Symmetry operation

system (chemical)

t

Terminating face

Ternary solution

Tetragonal (system)

Tetragonal packing

Tetragonal trisoctahedron

Tetrahedral (coordination)

Tetrahedron (silica)

Thermoluminescence

Thermoluminescent

Tourmaline group

Transition element

Transition metal

Transmitted light microscopy

Triangular (coordination)

Triboluminescence

Triboluminescent

Triclinic (system)

Trigonal (system)

True phosphates

Tufacious spring

Tungstates and Molybdates

Twinned crystal

u

Ultraviolet lamp

Ultraviolet light

Uneven fractrure

Uneven fracture

Unit cell parameters

Univariant line

Unstable (thermodynamics)

Unstable isotope

upper polarizer

v

Valence electron

Vander Waals bond

Variable formula

Verneuil process

Verneuil technique

Visible light spectroscopy

Vitreous luster

Volumetric analysis

w

Wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS)

Wet chemical analysis

White radiation

Widmanstatten lines

Widmanstatten pattern

x

X-ray diffraction

X-ray fluorescence (XRF)

z

Zeolite (facies)

Zone (compositional)

Zone (matamorphic)

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