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3 Cleavage and Types

Cleavage is the ability of rocks to split along parallel surfaces and is related to the atomic arrangement of minerals. There are several types of cleavage including: 1) Slaty cleavage caused by parallel platy minerals like mica forming a rock that can split into thin sheets. 2) Fracture cleavage formed by closely spaced joints not related to mineral alignment. 3) Shear and slip cleavage involving displacement of rock surfaces along zones of weakness related to small folded structures in metamorphic rocks. Cleavage can be parallel to features like bedding or axial planes of folds. The direction is always parallel to crystal faces of minerals in the rock.

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695 views

3 Cleavage and Types

Cleavage is the ability of rocks to split along parallel surfaces and is related to the atomic arrangement of minerals. There are several types of cleavage including: 1) Slaty cleavage caused by parallel platy minerals like mica forming a rock that can split into thin sheets. 2) Fracture cleavage formed by closely spaced joints not related to mineral alignment. 3) Shear and slip cleavage involving displacement of rock surfaces along zones of weakness related to small folded structures in metamorphic rocks. Cleavage can be parallel to features like bedding or axial planes of folds. The direction is always parallel to crystal faces of minerals in the rock.

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zahid
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 Cleavage:

It is the property of rock where they break along completely parallel surfaces. It is secondary feature of rock.
-Most of rock cleavage is inclined to bedding, but in some instances it may be parallel to the bedding.
- Cleavage refers to the ability of a rock to split or cleave into more or less parallel surfaces in certain
direction. The direction is always parallel to the crystal faces of the minerals.
-Cleavage property of the mineral is related to the atomic arrangements in the minerals.
Ex:
Mica cleavage is one direction, Quartz no cleavage, Galena has three directional cleavage all at right angle to
one another, making cube.
 Types:
i. Slaty cleavage or schistosity:
Slaty cleavages and schistosity are caused by the parallel arrangement of platy minerals, such
as the micas or chlorites, or by the parallel arrangement of ellipsoidal grains of such minerals
as quartz and feldspar. Elongate minerals, such as hornblende, may impact a cleavage to the
rock if the long axes lie in the same plane but are not parallel to one another.
-Theoretically, a rock possessing slaty cleavage can be split into an indefinite number of thin
sheets parallel to the cleavage.
-The term slaty cleavage is used for less intensely metamorphosed rocks, such as slate,
whereas schistosity is employed if the rock I recrystallized into minerals that is readily
recognized by the naked eye. The term continuous cleavage has been suggested to embrace
slaty cleavage and schistosity. Cleavage and schistosity may or may not be parallel to
bedding.

Hornblende cleavage
ii. Fracture cleavage:
Fracture cleavage is essentially closely spaced jointing. The mineral in the rock are not
parallel to the cleavage. The distance b/w the individual planes of cleavage can measured and
are commonly a matter of mm or cm. If the distance b/w the fracture exceeds a few cm, the
term jointing is more appropriately used. The term spaced cleavage has been suggested to
include all cleavages that are separated by a finite distance. It would include fracture
cleavage, slip cleavage and shear cleavage.
-Cleavage that occurs in deformed but only slightly metamorphosed rocks along closely
spaced, parallel joints and fractures.
i. Shear cleavage:
Although this term has been as synonymous with slip cleavage, it is more appropriately used
for closely spaced fractures along which there has been some displacement. It is essentially a
fracture cleavage along which there has been displacement.
-Refers to cleavage where there is displacement of preexisting surfaces across the cleavage
plane by movement parallel to it.
ii. Slip cleavage:
This feature has also been called strain-slip cleavage and crenulation cleavage. In many
meta-rocks terranes the schistosity may be crinkled into small folds with a wavelength of a
fraction of an inch. One limb of these small folds becomes a zone of weakness. Eventually the
mica flakes are rotated into discrete zones parallel to the axial planes of the crinkles, and
displacement may take place along these zones. The rock tends to break parallel to these
zones.
-It has been suggested that crenulation cleavage is a better term for this phenomena. At times
it may be difficult to distinguish shear cleavage from slip but slip evolves from small folds,
whereas in shear cleavage small drags develops after the fracture has been formed.
iii. Bedding cleavage:
Cleavage or schistosity that is parallel to the bedding is commonly referred to as bedding
cleavage or bedding cleavage schistosity. It is commonly similar to slaty cleavage in that it is
caused by parallel platy minerals.
iv. Axial plane cleavages:
Cleavage or schistosity that is essentially parallel to the axial planes of the folds is called axial
plane cleavage. The term is generally used in combination with one of the term given below.
-Cleavage that is closely related to the axial planes of folds in the rock, either being rigidly
parallel to the axes, or diverging slightly on each flank (fan cleavage). Most axial-plane
cleavage is closely related to the minor folds seen in individual outcrops, but some is merely
parallel to the regional fold axes.

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