Crystals facts

In Mexico. The cave near Naica, Mexico, was discovered in 2000 by miners. At that time, it was completely submerged. Today, the cave is accessible because the mining company's pumping operations keep it clear of water. Unfortunately, the crystals deteriorate in air, and soon may be lost.

Single crystal silicon is used in the fabrication of semiconductors. On the quantum scale that microprocessors operate on, the presence of grain boundaries would have a significant impact on the functionality of field effect transistors by altering local electrical properties. Therefore, microprocessor fabricators have invested heavily in facilities to produce large single crystals of silicon.

Has a noncrystalline structure. An amorphous solid is any noncrystalline solid in which the atoms and molecules are not organized in a definite lattice pattern. Such solids include glass, plastic, and gel. An amorphous solid does not have a definite geometric or crystalline shape. Glass is an amorphous solid that exhibits a glass transition.

Amethyst. The ancient Greeks believed that amethyst was a very strong antidote against drunkenness. They would wear jewelry decorated with the stone and drink from goblets carved out of large crystals in a bid to protect themselves from intoxication. There are several myths and legends that all have variations on the theme of amethyst gaining its color from the wine of the gods (in one story Bacchus himself pours wine over a white stone), both leading to the creation of amethyst. The stone, therefore, had an association with the power and protection of the gods.

Zircons from the Western Australian Jack Hills returned an age of 4.404 billion years, interpreted to be the age of crystallization, making them the oldest minerals so far dated on Earth.