Learning with TotBlocks: Communicating the crystal structures of modular rock-forming minerals with 3D-printed interlocking brick modules

The open-source TotBlocks project consists of 3D-printed, T-O-T interlocking bricks, based on ideal polyhedral representations of T and O modules, which are linked by hexagonal pegs and slots. Using TotBlocks, we explore the relationships between modular minerals within the biopyribole (biotite-pyroxene-amphibole) and palysepiole (palygorskite-sepiolite) series, as well as other layered minerals (brucite, kaolinite-serpentine, and chlorite groups).

Copernicus Publications