English
Image:Feldspar - Bytownite Sodium calcium aluminum silicate Crystal Bay Minnesota 2689.jpg|thumb|Bytownite
Pronunciation
Bi' ton ite
Etymology
Named for the type locality in Bytown, Canada, but this locality was later discredited. The name, however, was kept.
Noun
bytownite (plural: bytownites)
- mineralogy A plagioclase feldspar, the fifth member of the Albite-Anorthite solid solution series. Bytownite is rare, and normally occurs in small grains in lime-rich igneous rocks. Clear pale yellow crystals have come from Mexico and Oregon.
Chemical composition: Calcium sodium aluminum silicate, <math>Ca_xNa_xAlSi_3O_8</math>
Physical properties:
*Moh's Hardness: 6.0
*Specific gravity: 2.74
*Color: White, pale yellow, shades of gray
*Luster: glassy
*Fracture: conchoidal
*Cleavage: two good at about 94º to each other
*Habit: Triclinic - pinacoidal. Crystals are rare.
Related terms
:See Rock, Feldspar, Plagioclase
zh:bytownite
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