Equantcy versus sphericity |
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Authors: | JAMES T TELLER |
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Institution: | Department of Earth Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
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Abstract: | The shape of a particle is commonly characterized by its sphericity. In geology, sphericity is determined by comparing a grain's length, width and breadth diameters. This type of measurement does not indicate how close the particle is to a true spherical shape, and cubes, tetrahedrons, and true spheres all have the same degree of sphericity. Because the term sphericity is misleading, implying that its determination takes roundness into account, a different term should be used. I propose that whenever the shape of a grain is determined by measuring or estimating the lengths of its main axes, we regard this as determining its degree of equantcy. |
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