MACLAS

TWIN CRYSTALS
 DEFINITION
• It is the intergrowth of two or more crystals,
so that one of them can be done
to match with the other through a
REFLECTION on a plane (macla plane) or
for a ROTATION around an axis (axis of
macla).
• Two or more crystals of the same substance,
intertwined in a way that presents
partial parallelism in certain directions and
inverted positions in others, this is a
crystal maclado.
 The twinned crystals originate when there is
simultaneous growth of two or more individuals
whose networks are intertwined in such a way
that a partial parallelism occurs.
the positional relationship between the two units of
a twinned crystal is like if one had
derived from the other by a 180° rotation around
to a common axis or as if one part came from
from the other by reflection with respect to a plane
common or in both ways.
Examples of twinned minerals
 elements of a twin

• Axis of twinning: it is the apparent axis of rotation.

• Macla plane: it is the plane that intervenes in the
reflection operation.
• Composition plan: it is the plane or surface
of the union of the parts of a twin crystal. Agreed
these hybrids can be of contact or of
penetration.
• Macla law: it is the symmetry operation that
match the two crystals, it can consist of
axis of slip, of the slip plane or of both.
 The formation of twins responds to certain rules or
Macla laws.
In an individual crystal, an even symmetry axis is never a twin axis: it can only be
it will be a ternary axis of symmetry.

2. The twin planes never coincide with symmetry planes in any of the
parts of a composite crystal.

A twin axis or plane can coincide in position with an axis or plane of symmetry.
in the classes of symmetry higher than that involved in the maclas. for example, in the class
Diploid of the cubic system, twinned pyritohedra are possible see figure. The axis
the macla is normal to the face of the dodecahedron (110) which is the plane of macla. This axis,
it is not of symmetry in the diplohedral class, but it is in the normal class. When it
presents a macla of estepo in a crystal of a class of lower symmetry, the
resultant macla can adopt that of the higher symmetry class.

4. The twinning that occurs in centrosymmetric crystals also has an axis of

twinning and a normal twinning plane to this. The crystals that are not centrosymmetric.
they can be rotated around an axis or with respect to a plane, but not with respect to
both at the same time.
Types of twinning
• The two parts of a twin crystal can appear joined.
according to a regular composition plan, that is to say, it is simple
contact one with another. These macles are called macles of
contact. Others penetrate and join according to a surface
of irregular composition: they are the so-called macles of
penetration.
In contact twinning, each crystal grows on only one side of the plane.
of composition. In these, the plane of macla coincides with that of
composition, which does not happen in those of penetration, where the
Crystals grow on both sides of the plane of composition.

According to the number of crystals, the twinning can be

simple or compound, yes, they only consist of two elements
(crystals) and multiples or repetitions, have more than two
glasses.
According to the composition plan, the intergrowths can be cyclical.
if the composition planes are not parallel and are going
arranged in a closed or cyclic manner; and polysynthetic, if the
composition plans are parallel
To express a twin we use the 'twin law', that is, we indicate
the crystallographic direction of the twinning plane and the twinning axis.

The processes that give rise to twinning are:

By growth: it is the result of the placement of atoms or
ions on the outer part of a growing crystal, in such a way
that the regular distribution of the crystal structure is seen
interrupted and changes occur in the structure that can twist the
growth of a crystal and make it grow symmetrically and not
continuously.
By transformation: They represent a secondary macling because they
they appear in the crystals after their formation.
It can occur when a crystalline substance formed at a temperature
relatively high, it cools down, adopting a symmetrical structure
distant from stable, at higher temperatures. For example, high quartz (beta)
if it cools below 573°C, it transforms to low quartz (alpha).
 In this transition, the original structure of the upper quartz could
choose between two orientations, related by a rotation of 180°
for the structural trigonal distribution of lower quartz.
The relationship between these two orientations is known as
Dauphiné's demacla is expressed as a rotation of 180°
around (0001).
If the lower macled quartz crystal is heated above 573°C,
the twin disappears and the high quartz (beta) without twin forms
spontaneously.
 By Investment: it commonly occurs in polymorphism. It is formed
due to temperature and pressure conditions, when one of them changes,
a polymorph can convert to another. Also in the same crystal, a
Part of it can change, and the other cannot, producing a hybrid.
By Slip: it occurs when a crystalline substance is
deforms due to the application of mechanical stress.
It is very common in metals and it commonly occurs.
in limestones transformed by metamorphism, since a way of
the chosen deformation can be the twinning, as it involves less
energy that the breaking of the glass.
The twinning with respect to an axis can be explained with the following example:

• A tetrahedron is not a centrosymmetric figure; if it is macled

by rotation around an axis that coincides with an axis of
ternary symmetry, the result will be that of the figure. In it there is no
There is a plano de macla. It is an example of penetration macla.
 The twinning with respect to a plane and without a twinning axis is
represented by the union of two right quartz crystals and
left quartz, according to the twinning plan.
The following figures correspond to a quartz crystal.
left, to a right quartz crystal and the united pair. As
it can be appreciated, one of the halves cannot derive from the other
by rotation. The twin plane is the face of the second prism
order (11-20). This contact pair is known as pair of
Brazil.
In the centrosymmetric twinned crystals, there are simultaneously axes and planes of
macla. As an example of a type of macla, let us take the octahedron. If we
cut into two parts according to the scheme below, and rotate one half
inferior to the right 180° around axis A, which is perpendicular to the
In method (11-1), a twinned crystal is obtained as shown below.
 In this example, the composition plane is also a plane of
the front half is the mirror image of the back half.
It is a contact polymorph called spinel polymorph.
because it is common in the minerals of the spinel group.
Some twinning is made up of three or more parts instead
of the two that we just saw and are called multiple maclas or
of repetition, in one of them, the compositions are
parallels and in the other not. The following examples show
one is a polysynthetic language, the other is a cyclical language.
 common macla laws
Cubic system. In the hexoctahedral class, the axis of
it rarely forms a ternary axis and the plane of the twinning is
parallel to the face of the octahedron. The figures show: an octahedron
with the plan as a possible McLah plan and an octahedron
twinned according to this law, forming a contact twin. This
Macla type is very common especially in spinel, and of
here is called the spine's classification.
The following graphs show two cubes: one forming twins of
penetration with the ternary axis of symmetry A-A' as the twin axis.
The other, of the dipyramidal class, where twinning is common.
penetration of two pyritohedra, here the twinning axis is normal to {011}
a face of the rhombic dodecahedron. A rotation of 90° around
a binary axis would produce the same result. This flaw is known as
like an iron cross.
 Hexagonal system. In the hexagonal division, twinning is rare and not significant.

In the rhombohedral division, carbonates are very common.

rhombic, especially calcite. They serve as an illustration of three
Macla laws.
In the trigonal trapezohedral class, quartz is present with various types of twinning.
The law of Brazil, whose macla plane is perpendicular to one of the axes.
crystallographic a. Two individuals, one right and the other left, have formed a
penetration maple.
Dolphin Macla. Penetration Macla, has the ejec, like the axis of
macla. It is composed of two individuals, right and left.
Law of Japan. With the plan of macla{11-22}. The incoming angles
usually in twinned crystals, they do not appear in the twinnings from Brazil or the
Dolphinado.
 Tetragonal [Link] most common type of twinning is {011}.
macla plan. Crystals of cassiterite and rutile, twinned according to this law.
 Orthorhombic system. In this system, the twin plane is very
frequently parallel to one face of the prism. The contact twinning of
aragonite, the cyclic twin of the same mineral and the cyclic twin of cerussite
they are all macled in {110}. The pseudohexagonal appearance of the figures
it is a consequence that (110) and (1-10) is almost 60°.
 In the rhombic mineral of staurolite, common dogtooth spar faces.
penetration. In one, with {032} as the twinning plane, a cross is produced in
right angle, in the other with the twin plane {232}, results in a cross with angle
of 60°.
Monoclinic system. In this system, the twinning occurs according to a pinacoid.
{100} or {001} are the most common. The figure represents the
Gypsum twinning with the first pinacoid {100} as the twinning plane.
Macla of Manebach of the orthoclase, in which the basic pinacoid {011} is the
macla plan.
Carlsbad Law is a type of penetration of orthoclase, in which the
the crystallographic axis is the axis of the twinning and the individuals are joined by a
irregular surface, approximately parallel to {010}.
The Baveno twinning also forms in orthoclase, here is the plane.
The macla is parallel to a face of a first species prism {021}.
Triclinic system, feldspar is the best example of twinning in the
triclinic system. They are almost always twinned according to the law of albite, with
the second pinacoid {010} as a twin plane.
Another important type of twinning in triclinic feldspars is according to the law
of the pericline, with the crystallographic axis as the twin axis.