At the atomic scale when a mineral cleaves or fractures, the direction of cleavage represents the weakest bond in the mineral.
When a sharp force is exerted on a mineral then it breaks apart along the cleavage planes.
Cleavage planes are those areas in a mineral that has weak bond strength.
Similarly, all the atoms in a mineral have different bond strengths then the mineral will cleave or break apart along the region having the weakest bond strength.
In general, when a mineral cleaves or fractures, it simply shows the strength of intermolecular forces among atoms. As atoms are arranged in different directions so multiple cracks occur in a mineral.
Particularly, the weakest bond breaks earlier and forms multiple cracks in the structure of a mineral.
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