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Unit 3.3. Stereographic Projection
Unit 3.3. Stereographic Projection
Remember that it is the angular relationships between crystal faces that actually reflects
the ordered internal arrangement of atoms and thus the internal symmetry.
Thus, even in distorted crystals that exhibit crystal faces, the symmetry can be
determined by the angular relationships
Projection of crystal faces
Projections in three dimensions are vital for revealing and illustrating crystal
symmetry and morphology (faces and angles)
z
z
001
111 101 001
111
010
y
y
110
110 010
x
100 x
100
111
101 111
Projection of crystal faces
Projections in three dimensions are vital for revealing and illustrating crystal
symmetry and morphology (faces and angles)
(0kl)
(h0l)
(0kl)
(h0l)
Projection of crystal faces
b
a
(100)
(100)
Projection of crystal faces
1. Look at a cross-section of the sphere. We orient the crystal such that the pole to the (001)
face (the c axis) is vertical and points to the North pole of the sphere.
2. For the (111) face we draw the pole from the face to intersect the outside of the sphere.
3. Then, we draw a line from the point on the sphere directly to the South Pole.
4. Where this line intersects the equatorial plane is where we plot the point.
Projection of crystal faces
A face that intercepts the three axes will be projected inside the sphere
Projection of crystal faces
2. Crystal faces that are on the top of the crystal (whose normal project into the upper
hemisphere) are represented as “x" signs, and crystal faces on the bottom of the crystal
(whose normal project into the lower hemisphere) are represented as open circles.
3. Crystal faces parallel to c (vertical faces, the normal touches the sphere at the equator)
are also plotted as x on the primitive circle (circle that that surrounds
the stereonet)
Projection of symmetry
Projection of inclined planes locus of all points projected from the intercept of an inclined
plane to the equatorial plane
Projection of symmetry
Projection of inclined planes locus of all points projected from the intercept of an inclined
plane to the equatorial plane
Projection of symmetry
Projection of symmetry
(100)
X
(100)
X O
X X
X
Examples: symmetry
4/m 2/m 2/m
Tetragonal system
X
X X
X X
X
O O
X
O
X