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Layer 4

The atoms in the fourth layer of a hexagonal closest packed structure stack directly above the atoms in the second layer. (The second layer contains the orange spheres in this model.) This gives the ..ABAB.. packing characteristic of an HCP structure.

Click on a location where a sphere would sit in order to build up the fourth HCP layer.

We have used different colored spheres to identify the various layers in the HCP structure. However, don't forget that all of the atoms in a metal really are identical.

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