Determination of relative growth rates of natural quartz crystals

Although the theory describing crystal growth in the geological environment is well established1,2,3, there are few quantitative studies that delimit the absolute time involved in the growth of natural crystals4,5,6. The actual mechanisms responsible for the variation in size and shape of individual crystal faces are, in fact, not well understood. Here we describe a micro-infrared spectroscopic study of a single, gem-quality quartz crystal that allows us to measure the size, shape and relative growth rate of each of the crystal faces that are active throughout its growth history. We demonstrate that the abundances of hydrogen-bearing impurities can serve as ‘speedometers’ to monitor the growth rate of advancing crystal faces. Our technique can be applied to crystals from a variety of geological environments to determine their growth histories. Within the electronics industry, the technique might facilitate the production of defect-free synthetic crystals required for high-quality resonators and, ultimately, might allow determination of the absolute time involved in geological processes such as the crystallization of magmas, fluid flow in metamorphism and the sealing of open cracks in earthquake rupture zones.