English
Etymology
From the Latin albus (white), the common color of the mineral.
Noun
albite (plural: albites)
- mineralogy A plagioclase feldspar, the first member of the Albite-Anorthite solid solution series. Primarily a mineral of plutonic rocks, also found in pegmatites. When Albite substitutes for a potassium feldspar in granite, the rock is called quartz monzonite.
Chemical composition: Sodium aluminum silicate, <math>NaAlSi?_3O_8</math>
Physical properties:
*Moh's Hardness: 6.0
*Specific gravity: 2.63
*Color: white, sometimes with a bluish cast
*Luster: glassy
*Fracture: conchoidal
*Cleavage: two good at about 94º to each other
*Habit: Triclinic - pinacoidal. Usually twinned and striated. The striations are visible to the naked eye, and are characteristic of plagioclase feldspars in general and Albite in particular.
See also
feldspar
quartz monzonite
rock
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