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A mineral that has taken the crystal shape of another mineral is said to be a pseudomorph, meaning "false form." This phenomenon can occur in various ways. |
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Pseudomorphs |
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A mineral that has taken the crystal shape of another mineral is said to be a pseudomorph, meaning "false form." This phenomenon can occur in various ways. |
| The process of pseudomorphism may be mechanical, structural, or chemical in nature and results from changes in the physical and chemical environment during or after the period of initial crystallization. A pseudomorph is classified both by the nature of the processes by which it was formed and by the changes it experienced during those processes. |  |
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The pseudomorphic change is expressed, for example, as "aragonite (original mineral) > calcite (later mineral)." Another way of writing it is "calcite after aragonite." |
| The pseudomorphs exhibit in Hillman Hall shows examples of eight types of pseudomorphism. |  |