Hopper crystal

This results in what appears to be a hollowed out step lattice formation, as if someone had removed interior sections of the individual crystals.

This attraction draws the mineral molecules more strongly than the interior sections of the crystal, thus the edges develop more quickly.

Hoppering is common in many minerals, including lab-grown bismuth, galena, quartz (called skeletal or fenster crystals), gold, calcite, halite (salt), and water (ice).

In 2017, Frito-Lay filed for (and later received) a patent[1] for a salt cube hopper crystal.

Because the shape increases surface area to volume, it allows people to taste more salt compared to the amount actually consumed.