Minerals may be given names on the basis of some physical property or chemical aspect, or they may be named after a locality, a public figure, a mineralogist, or almost any other subject considered appropriate. An international committee, the Commission on New Minerals and New Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association, now reviews all new mineral descriptions and judges the appropriateness of new mineral names as well as the scientific characterization of newly discovered mineral species. Crystallography Minerals, with few exceptions, possess the internal, ordered arrangement that is characteristic of crystalline solids. When conditions are favourable, they may be bounded by smooth plane surfaces and assume regular geometric forms known as crystals. The study of crystalline solids and the principles that govern their growth, external shape, and external structure is called crystallography.
Morphological crystallography refers to the study of the external form, or morphology, of crystals.
Crystallization Crystals are formed from solutions, melts, and vapours. The atoms in these disordered states have a random distribution but with changing T, P, and concentration they may join in an ordered arrangement characteristic of the crystalline state. The physical properties of minerals are a direct result of their chemical and structural characteristics. Many physical properties can be determined by inspection or by relatively simple tests, and as such are important in the rapid recognition of minerals. Parting is like cleavage, but only occurs along planes of structural weakness in twinned crystals.