List of minerals by crystal system and class This is a useful reference document that shows common minerals in their crystal systems. This is in Microsoft Word 97 format, if it doesn't download by clicking on it, try right clicking and choosing SAVE TARGET AS, then open the document from your computer. Handout on Lattices and Unit Cells THIS IS A REALLY LONG HANDOUT. READ IT BEFORE PRINTING IT OUT. YOU MAY WANT TO COPY IT TO A MS WORD FILE AND EDIT IT BEFORE PRINTING IT. NESSE: Pages 12-17, with emphasis on the Table on page 16. You do not have to memorize this, but you should understand it. You do not have to know the "Point Group" Notation, otherwise known as the Hermann-Mauguin. THINGS TO KNOW: KNOW THE MAIN CRYSTAL SYSTEMS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. Be able to place a crystal in its appropriate system if given the simple symmetry. Understand Steno's law and how to use a contact goniometer. Know what euhedral, anhedral, and subhedral are. Explain why lack of external crystal habit does not indicate a lack of crystal structure. MINERALOGY TUTORITALS CD. Do the crystal classes module under External Symmetry. This module provides a lot of comprehensive views of axes and crystal shapes in the 6 systems. Good 3D animations. OPTIONAL READING Read the first half of the Introduction to the Web Crystallography Course (up to the end of the crystal systems and the beginning of Miller indices) and the first few paragraphs of each of the crystal systems (Isometric-Triclinic) on the following web site. Mike and Darcy Howard's Web Crystallography Course This site has nice diagrams of each of the crystal systems (Isometric-Triclinic) and links back to the previous site. Note that when the axes are of equal length they use the same letter, unequal axes had different letters. In the monoclinic and triclinic systems the angles are no longer all 90 degrees Crystallography Web Page This page explains the various symmetry elements (axes, mirror planes, and inversion centers) and has a nice chart showing which symmetry elements appear in which crystal systems UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL MINERALOGY COURSE