Albite Mineral Data

General Albite Information

Chemical Formula:

NaAlSi3O8

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 263.02 gm

Sodium 8.30 % Na 11.19 % Na₂O

Calcium 0.76 % Ca 1.07 % CaO

Aluminum 10.77 % Al 20.35 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 31.50 % Si 67.39 % SiO₂

Oxygen 48.66 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Na_0.95Ca_0.05Al_1.05Si_2.95O₈

Environment:

Magmatic and pegmatitic rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1815

Locality:

Finnbo, Falun, Dalarna, Sweden. Bourg d'Oisans and Isere, France. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Latin, albus, in allusion to the common color.

Name Pronunciation:

Albite

Synonym:

Ab100

An0

Clevelandite

Albite Image

Images:

Albite Plagioclase

Comments: Colorless, lustrous blocky albite crystals to 3 cm in size with a thick dusting of micaceous green micro chlorite.
Location: Acushnet Quarry, Bristol Co., Massachussetts, USA. Scale: 17 x 15 x 7.5 cm matrix.
© Dan Weinrich

Images:

Albite Plagioclase

Comments: Crystal group of bladed albite (variety cleavelandite) crystals.
Location: Taquaral, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Scale: 7.4 x 5 cm.
© John Veevaert

Images:

Schorl Albite

Comments: Several jet-black lustrous crystals of schorl perched on a white albite matrix.
Location: Shengus, Gilgit, Pakistan. Scale: 4 x 3 x 2 cm.
© Isaias Casanova / IC Minerals

Albite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.6368:1:0.5599

Cell Dimensions:

a = 8.144, b = 12.787, c = 7.16, Z = 4; alpha = 94.266°, beta = 116.583°, gamma = 87.667° V = 664.40 Den(Calc)= 2.63

Crystal System:

Triclinic - Pinacoidal H-M Symbol ( 1) Space Group: C1

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.176(1), 3.211(0.3), 3.752(0.3),

Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
Keyboard
S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
Help on Above

Forms: ( 0 0 1) ( 1 0 0) ( 1 0 1) ( 0 1 0)

Warning: this java applet does not work in some browsers because of security restrictions.

Physical Properties of Albite

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect, {010} Good

Color:

White, Gray, Greenish gray, Bluish green, Gray.

Density:

2.61 - 2.63, Average = 2.62

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent to subtranslucent

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Blocky - Crystal shape tends to be equant (e.g. feldspars).

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

Striated - Parallel lines on crystal surface or cleavage face.

Hardness:

7 - Quartz

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=herry-red blue, Long UV=white.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Albite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.008 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.012 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2034,KPDmeas= 0.2042,KC= 0.2058
Ncalc = 1.54

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.528-1.533, b=1.5317-1.53685, g=1.538-1.542, bire=0.0090-0.0100, 2V(Calc)=76-82, 2V(Meas)=45. Dispersion relatively weak.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Albite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.60 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Albite =2.62 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_Albite= 1.75 barns/electron
U=PE_Albite x rElectron Density= 4.55 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Albite is Not Radioactive

Albite Classification

Dana Class:

76.01.03.01 (76)Tectosilicate Al-Si Framework

(76.01)with Al-Si frameworks

(76.01.03)Plagioclase series

76.01.03.00 Plagioclase* (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

76.01.03.01 Albite NaAlSi3O8 C1 1

76.01.03.02 Oligoclase (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

76.01.03.03 Andesine* (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

76.01.03.04 Labradorite* (Ca,Na)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

76.01.03.05 Bytownite* (Ca,Na)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

76.01.03.06 Anorthite CaAl2Si2O8 P1,I1 1

Strunz Class:

09.FA.35 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.F - Tektosilicates without Zeolitic H2O

09.FA -Tektosilicates without additional non-tetrahedral anions, (Al,B):Si = 1:1

09.FA.35 Albite NaAlSi3O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Bytownite* (Ca,Na)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Anorthite CaAl2Si2O8 P1,I1 1

09.FA.35 Andesine* (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Labradorite* (Ca,Na)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Oligoclase (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Reedmergnerite NaBSi3O8 C1 1

09.FA.35 Plagioclase* (Na,Ca)(Si,Al)4O8 C1 1

Other Albite Information

Search for Albite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Albite :

Ask about Albite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Albite Specimen Label here :

Albite

NaAlSi3O8
Dana No: 76.01.03.01 Strunz No: 09.FA.35
Locality:

Notes:

Dakota Matrix
Excalibur Minerals
Exceptional Minerals
Hudson Insitute
John Betts Fine Minerals
Mc Dougall Minerals
Mineral News
Rock and Mineral Shows
Weinrich Minerals, Inc.