SURFACE FREE

ENERGY
BY KALENGA RICHARD
COMP#:12027782

INTRODUTION

Atoms at the crystal edge do not have all their bonds satisfied,
and consequently the surface of the crystal is less stable and
has excess energy. This energy is what is termed as surface
free energy or interfacial energy.

Picture a single cubical unit of halite with the Cl anions and Na

cations at alternate corners. Half of the ionic bonds are
unsatisfied, so it has a large energy and is, therefore, highly
unstable.

Within larger atomic arrays,Na and Cl ions have

proportionately fewer overall unsatisfied bonds at corners and
edges.

Thus, larger crystals have a lower surface-related energy and

are more stable.

Surface Free Energy &

Metamorphism
One usual effect of metamorphism is an increase in grain size.
The contribution of surface free energy to the overall free energy
of the system may seem small, but in rocks of fine grain size e.g
mylonites, where surface free energy is obviously greater, the
contribution becomes significant, and consequently fine-grained
aggregates are generally more reactive.
In all metamorphic rocks, the interfacial energy drives grain
growth (coarsening) and causes modification of grain-boundary
relationships and grain shape, in an approach towards the most
stable configuration of grains.
This is achieved by minimizing the contribution of grain-boundary
(interfacial) energy to the total free energy of the system.

 Pressure causes minerals to recrystallize which generally forms

larger, more dense crystals.
The crystallization process cause some metamorphic rocks to
display visible evidence of the original mineral grains for
example quartz sandstone changes to quartzite and limestone
changes to marble.
straight boundaries will tend to develop. Thus the surface free
energy has a strong effect on the textures that develop during
metamorphism.

Recrystallization: Minimization of Interfacial

Free Energy by Minimizing Surface Area
Sandstone

Quartzite

Crack
Recrystallization

Cement

Crack

Crack

SURFACE ENERGY ANISOTROPY

Many minerals have significantly different surface free energy in

different crystallographic directions.

Micas, for example, grow as platy crystals because the {001} form
has a lower overall surface energy than any other form.

Variation in surface energy for different crystallographic directions is

known as surface energy anisotropy.

Minimization of the surface free energy in grain aggregates drives

equilibration of grain shape as well as size.

In polymineralic rocks grains with a strong surface energy anisotropy

tend to form euhedral crystals at the expense of neighbouring grains
that are less anisotropic.

 Quartz, feldspars and cordierite have a low surface energy

anisotropy meaning energy varies little with respect to the
crystallographic orientation of the surface so that they tend to
adjust themselves to the more anisotropic crystals in the rock,
such as garnet and mica.
They occur as anhedral grains in metamorphic rocks.
Minerals that have a tendency to grow equant grains have
very low surface energy anisotropy.
A hierarchy, known as the crystalloblastic series, among
minerals indicating their relative tendency to form euhedral
crystals during solid state growth is shown below.
Crystals higher in the crystalloblastic series will form euhedral
crystal faces against those lower in the series.
The series reflects decreasing surface free energy from top to
bottom.

 In monominerallic rocks, within a rock, the equilibrium

texture can be seen as a crystalloblastic or granoblastic
aggregate of polygonal grains, their boundaries meeting at
triple junctions with equal angles of about 120.
This is as results of growth of crystals of one type of mineral,
i.e. with equal surface free energy anisotropy.
Monominerallic rocks like quartzite with low surface energy
anisotropy (SEA) tend to develop soap- bubble texture with
well developed triple point juntions and interfacial angles of
about 120 degrees because that is a stable configuration of a
low-SEA monominerallic rock in which interfacial energies are
minimized.

Soap-bubble texture

CONCLUSION

From this presentation it can be said that surface free

energy plays a very important role in rock fabric
development in metamorphic rocks.

REFERRENCES

Faculty.uml.edu

Textures and microstructures by A. j .Barker(ph.D)

Metamorphic texctures www.whit e.edu

en.m.Wikipedia.org

Igneous and metamorphic petrology by myon G Best.

Petrology: priniples and practice by Gautam Sen

Texture and Anisotropy: preferred orientation in polyrystals by U.F

Kocks, C.N. Tome, H.R.Wenk, Cambridge University Press.