To transform a section of a hexagonal array into a 5-folded disclination (colored green in the figure), a triangular wedge of hexagonal elements (blue triangle) has to be removed; to create a 7-folded disclination (orange), an identical wedge must be inserted. The figure illustrates how disclinations destroy orientational order, while dislocations only destroy translational order in the far field (portions of the crystal far from the center of the disclination).