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Crystal size is determined by several factors. However, it essentially boils down to rate of nucleation and rate of diffusion. A low nucleation rate with high diffusion rate will cause very large crystals to grow, whereas a high nucleation rate with low diffusion will cause very small crystals to grow.

Previously, it was commonly believed that cooling rate was a strong influence. The ideas was that if a melt took a long time to cool, crystals would have more time to grow. However, recent studies examining pegmatitic (very large crystals) rocks have shown that cooling of these bodies happens extremely quickly. One proposed explanation is that the amount of water present in the melt is much more important.

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What factors causes the difference in the size of crystals formed?

The size of crystals formed is influenced by factors such as temperature, cooling rate, concentration of solutes, presence of impurities, and growth conditions. Higher temperatures and slower cooling rates typically lead to larger crystals, while a high concentration of solutes or presence of impurities can inhibit crystal growth. The specific crystal structure and properties desired also play a role in determining the size of crystals formed.


Which is not a factor that effects the size of mineral crystals formed in magma?

The composition of the minerals is not a factor that affects the size of mineral crystals formed in magma. The factors that do affect crystal size include cooling rate, amount of water present, and amount of pressure.


What determines a crystals shape and size?

A crystal's shape is determined by its atomic structure and growth conditions, such as temperature and pressure. The size of a crystal is influenced by factors like the concentration of solutes in the solvent and the rate of crystal growth. Factors like impurities, stirring, and the presence of nucleation sites can also play a role in determining crystal shape and size.


What factors would cause a crystal to form?

Crystals form when a substance transitions from a liquid or gas to a more stable solid state, typically due to changes in temperature, pressure, or concentration. Factors such as the nature of the substance's chemical bonds, the presence of impurities, and the rate of cooling can also influence crystal formation.


What is intrusive rock crystal size?

Intrusive rock crystal size refers to the dimensions of crystals that form within igneous rocks as they cool slowly beneath the Earth's surface. These crystals tend to be larger than those found in extrusive rocks, which cool quickly on the surface. The size can vary significantly depending on factors such as the cooling rate, mineral composition, and the environment of crystallization. Typically, intrusive rocks like granite exhibit larger, well-formed crystals compared to their extrusive counterparts.

Related Questions

What factors causes the difference in the size of crystals formed?

The size of crystals formed is influenced by factors such as temperature, cooling rate, concentration of solutes, presence of impurities, and growth conditions. Higher temperatures and slower cooling rates typically lead to larger crystals, while a high concentration of solutes or presence of impurities can inhibit crystal growth. The specific crystal structure and properties desired also play a role in determining the size of crystals formed.


What factor cause the difference in the size of crystal formed?

weather and climate changes cause difference in size of crystals. or erosion


What are three things crystal size dependent on?

Primarily the cooling rate of the mineral compound.The faster the rate cooling smaller the crystal size of the mineral.Consequently, large crystal specimins are derived from igneous bodies with a very slow rate of cooling.


What determines the size of a mineral crystal formed from magma?

The cooling rate of the magma primarily determines the size of a mineral crystal. Faster cooling rates lead to smaller crystals, while slower cooling rates result in larger crystals. Other factors such as the mineral composition and level of nucleation can also influence crystal size.


Which is not a factor that effects the size of mineral crystals formed in magma?

The composition of the minerals is not a factor that affects the size of mineral crystals formed in magma. The factors that do affect crystal size include cooling rate, amount of water present, and amount of pressure.


Which is a factor that affects the size of a mineral crystals formed in magma?

evaporation


What is crystal habit?

== == Many minerals have multiple crystal habits, which are the size and shape of a particular mineral crystals formation. Examples of crystal habit include boytroidal, stubby, blocky, radiating, wheat sheaf, columnar, acicular, foliated, subhedral, euhedral, drusy, dendritic, and bladed.


What determines a crystals shape and size?

A crystal's shape is determined by its atomic structure and growth conditions, such as temperature and pressure. The size of a crystal is influenced by factors like the concentration of solutes in the solvent and the rate of crystal growth. Factors like impurities, stirring, and the presence of nucleation sites can also play a role in determining crystal shape and size.


Which crystal can help identify as igneous rock as intrusive or extrusive?

What is the effect of location on crystal size? Label the location of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks on the diagram below. Then, illustrate the crystal size of the rock formed at that location in the appropriate callout circles.


What affects th size of crystals formed from magma?

the slower the magma cools the bigger the crystal is


What does mineral crystal size tell about how rock formed?

Mineral crystal size in a rock can provide information about the cooling rate of the magma or lava from which the rock formed. For example, faster cooling results in smaller crystal size, while slower cooling leads to larger crystals. This can help geologists determine whether the rock formed deep underground (slow cooling, larger crystals) or at the surface (quick cooling, smaller crystals).


How do crystal's grow?

Crystals grow through a process called crystallization. This occurs when atoms or molecules arrange themselves in a repeating pattern to form a solid structure. Factors such as temperature, pressure, and the presence of impurities can influence the size and shape of the crystals that are formed.