The arid conditions evaporate the water and concentrate the ions. When the water is almost gone, crystals start to form. As the water becomes even more concentrated, eventually rare and unusual minerals such as borax or hanksite will crystallize too. Hanksite crystals can be large and well formed, but are not very complex. Hanksite makes a good addition to any mineral collection.
Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal Habits include the typical hexagonal dipyramid terminating an hexagonal prism. The pyramids are often truncated by pinacoids. The six faces of the pyramids are aligned with the six faces of the prism. Tabular and twinned crystals are also common. Cleavage is perfect in one direction.