<p>Wikipedia's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos" rel="noreferrer">Asbestos</a> begins:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Asbestos</strong> (/æsˈbɛstɒs, æz-, -təs/) is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic &quot;fibrils&quot; that can be released into the atmosphere by abrasion and other processes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As you can see, by the second sentence the article already begins to diverge from a description of the mineral itself to a discussion of its implications for humans; we are responsible for the &quot;abrasion and other processes&quot; and we are the ones affected by the &quot;many microscopic 'fibrils' that can be released into the atmosphere&quot;.</p>
<p>I'd like to understand the mechanism that results in asbestos structure of fibers and their fibrils from a crystallographic point of view.</p>
<p>I see these questions as so interrelated that they should be answerable together likely from a single source:</p>
<ol>
<li>How do these crystals grow; is there some chemical reason for this extremely high anisotropy in growth rate? They are <em>centimeters long and microns wide</em>.</li>
<li>What keeps all the fibers and their fibrils from getting stuck together despite the pressures and temperatures necessary for formation?</li>
<li>Why the hierarchical structure of fibers composed of fibrils? Does this have a chemical or crystallographic basis or is it just &quot;the way the cookie crumbles&quot; when disassembled?</li>
<li>What ARE the pressures and temperatures necessary for formation?</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, &quot;(t)here are six types&quot; of asbestos, but I have a hunch they share the same underlying mechanism producing these fibers and their fibrils.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:25:52.653Z
To open a can of worms, "The term ASBESTOS is a commercial-industrial term rather than a mineralogical term". The term [asbestiform](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216753/) is used to describe a number of fibrous minerals, which includes asbestos. Palygorskite occurs as fibers, but is not asbestos. "The different kinds of asbestos belong to two groups of minerals: serpentine and amphibole".
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:32:44.433Z
**Serpentine [asbestos](https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/types/) has curly fibers** made up of sheets of crystals. The single type of asbestos from the serpentine family, chrysotile, has historically accounted for more than 95% of all asbestos used around the world. **Amphibole asbestos has needle-shaped fibers**.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:35:40.510Z
@Fred *keep that can of worms closed!* :-) I have a hunch that the reason that all of these "grow in a hierarchy of separable fibers of separable fibrils (and) don't... stick to each other or grow into each other" is answerable treating the can of worms as a whole, and won't require drilling down to the specific nature of each individual worm separately. But if my hunch can be proven wrong I'll be elated; always happy to learn something new.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:39:29.677Z
@Fred as an aside, were there ever *closed* cans of worm? When I was a kid a million years ago I do vaguely remember collecting worms in a used tin can and bringing them fishing, or even perhaps buying worms in a can at a roadside stand, but I don't remember ever having to actually open a previously closed cans in order to access live worms.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:41:07.240Z
*Kill Joy!!* ;-) Some asbestos minerals form as fibers in some situations, but but as conventional prismatic crystals in other situations. See [tremolite](https://www.mindat.org/article.php/4177/Taming+Asbestos+-+Collecting_Owning+Asbestiform+Minerals) etc.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-08T00:55:45.000Z
In the nonasbestiform variety, mineral crystal growth tend not to grow with parallel alignment, but form multi-directional growth patterns instead. When pressure is applied, the crystals fracture easily, fragmenting into prismatic particles called cleavage fragments. Some particles or cleavage fragments are acicular or needle-shaped as a result of the tendency of amphibole minerals to cleave along two dimensions but not along the third. From [here](www.capcoa.org › Docs › noa › [26] Pictorial Guide Asb and non-asb.pdf)
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-18T12:22:38.767Z
See [here](https://www.usgs.gov/publications/geology-asbestos-united-states-and-its-practical-applications) & [here](https://pubs.usgs.gov › of › 2002 › of02-149 › of02-149.pdf) Asbestos forms as veins in specific rock types. Also, compared to non asbestiform amphiboles, asbestos amphiboles tend to have a large number of crystal defects.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-18T20:20:38.753Z
@Fred I really like the way you keep chipping away at this problem! [Amphibole; Structure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibole#Structure)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-18T11:09:09.283Z
@Fred Just fyi the bounty runs out in 14 hours (plus a 24 hour invisible grace period)
uhoh
<mineralogy><minerals><crystallography><crystals>
Why does asbestos grow in a hierarchy of separable fibers of separable fibrils; why don't they stick to each other or grow into each other?
uhoh
# Why does asbestos grow in a hierarchy of separable fibers of separable fibrils; why don't they stick to each other or grow into each other?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-07)

Wikipedia's [Asbestos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos) begins:

> **Asbestos** (/æsˈbɛstɒs, æz-, -təs/) is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere by abrasion and other processes.

As you can see, by the second sentence the article already begins to diverge from a description of the mineral itself to a discussion of its implications for humans; we are responsible for the "abrasion and other processes" and we are the ones affected by the "many microscopic 'fibrils' that can be released into the atmosphere".

I'd like to understand the mechanism that results in asbestos structure of fibers and their fibrils from a crystallographic point of view.

I see these questions as so interrelated that they should be answerable together likely from a single source:

1. How do these crystals grow; is there some chemical reason for this extremely high anisotropy in growth rate? They are *centimeters long and microns wide*.
2. What keeps all the fibers and their fibrils from getting stuck together despite the pressures and temperatures necessary for formation?
3. Why the hierarchical structure of fibers composed of fibrils? Does this have a chemical or crystallographic basis or is it just "the way the cookie crumbles" when disassembled?
4. What ARE the pressures and temperatures necessary for formation?

Yes, "(t)here are six types" of asbestos, but I have a hunch they share the same underlying mechanism producing these fibers and their fibrils.

**Tags:** mineralogy, minerals, crystallography, crystals

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: To open a can of worms, "The term ASBESTOS is a commercial-industrial term rather than a mineralogical term". The term [asbestiform](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216753/) is used to describe a number of fibrous minerals, which includes asbestos. Palygorskite occurs as fibers, but is not asbestos. "The different kinds of asbestos belong to two groups of minerals: serpentine and amphibole".  
> **username_1**: **Serpentine [asbestos](https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/types/) has curly fibers** made up of sheets of crystals. The single type of asbestos from the serpentine family, chrysotile, has historically accounted for more than 95% of all asbestos used around the world. **Amphibole asbestos has needle-shaped fibers**.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 *keep that can of worms closed!* :-) I have a hunch that the reason that all of these "grow in a hierarchy of separable fibers of separable fibrils (and) don't... stick to each other or grow into each other" is answerable treating the can of worms as a whole, and won't require drilling down to the specific nature of each individual worm separately. But if my hunch can be proven wrong I'll be elated; always happy to learn something new.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 as an aside, were there ever *closed* cans of worm? When I was a kid a million years ago I do vaguely remember collecting worms in a used tin can and bringing them fishing, or even perhaps buying worms in a can at a roadside stand, but I don't remember ever having to actually open a previously closed cans in order to access live worms.  
> **username_1**: *Kill Joy!!* ;-) Some asbestos minerals form as fibers in some situations, but but as conventional prismatic crystals in other situations. See [tremolite](https://www.mindat.org/article.php/4177/Taming+Asbestos+-+Collecting_Owning+Asbestiform+Minerals) etc.  
> **username_1**: In the nonasbestiform variety, mineral crystal growth tend not to grow with parallel alignment, but form multi-directional growth patterns instead. When pressure is applied, the crystals fracture easily, fragmenting into prismatic particles called cleavage fragments. Some particles or cleavage fragments are acicular or needle-shaped as a result of the tendency of amphibole minerals to cleave along two dimensions but not along the third. From [here](www.capcoa.org › Docs › noa › [26] Pictorial Guide Asb and non-asb.pdf)  
> **username_1**: See [here](https://www.usgs.gov/publications/geology-asbestos-united-states-and-its-practical-applications) & [here](https://pubs.usgs.gov › of › 2002 › of02-149 › of02-149.pdf) Asbestos forms as veins in specific rock types. Also, compared to non asbestiform amphiboles, asbestos amphiboles tend to have a large number of crystal defects.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I really like the way you keep chipping away at this problem! [Amphibole; Structure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibole#Structure)  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Just fyi the bounty runs out in 14 hours (plus a 24 hour invisible grace period)  

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## 0 answers

