Growth competition reduced the number of grains away from the vein margin. Approximately horizontal dust and fluid inclusion trails suggest step wise crack-seal growth. Width of view 8 mm, crossed polars. As in an elongate blocky texture, the grains long axes are aligned. The distinguishing feature is that fibrous veins hardly show any growth competition.
All grains have approximately the same shape.
As with elongate blocky texture, a fibrous texture can only develop if no nucleation takes place after growth started. Photomicrograph of an antitaxial fibrous calcite vein. Fibre growth was outward from the median line, which is marked by a string of inclusions of the calcareous shale host rock. Outward growth can be determined by the slight increase in average fibre width away from the median line. Small blade-like quartz crystals precipitated at the vein margin, possibly onto existing small quartz grains in the shale.