Orthorhombic crystal system

The orthorhombic crystal system is one of the seven major ways that atoms arrange themselves in repeating 3D patterns to form solid crystals, characterized by three perpendicular axes of different lengths. Imagine a rectangular box where length, width, and height are all different from each other—that's the basic shape of an orthorhombic crystal structure. Many common minerals and compounds, like sulfur and olivine, naturally form this way because it allows their atoms to settle into a stable, low-energy arrangement.