malleability

mineralogy

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June 30, 2026

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Malleability, in mineralogy, describes a mineral's ability to be flattened into thin sheets under hammer blows without breaking or crumbling. This property is a result of the cohesive forces between atoms and ions within the mineral's structure.1

Native elements like gold, silver, and copper exhibit varying degrees of malleability. For instance, gold's malleability, along with its conductivity, makes it valuable in electronic circuitry. Other related terms describing a mineral's response to force include sectile (can be cut with a knife), ductile (can be drawn into wire), flexible (bends and stays bent), brittle (breaks easily), and elastic (returns to original shape after bending). Brittle micas, for example, contain calcium and break rather than bend due to increased hardness.123

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mineral
Tenacity
…described by the following terms: malleable, capable of being flattened under the blows of a hammer into thin sheets without breaking or crumbling into fragments (most of the native elements show various degrees of malleability, but particularly gold, silver, and copper); sectile, capable of being severed by the smooth cut…
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…described by the following terms: malleable, capable of being flattened under the blows of a hammer into thin sheets without breaking or crumbling into fragments (most of the native elements show various degrees of malleability, but particularly gold, silver, and copper); sectile, capable of being severed by the smooth cut…
Read More