Albite Mineral Data
General Albite Information
Chemical Formula:
NaAlSi3O8
Composition:
Molecular Weight = 263.02 gm
Sodium 8.30 % Na 11.19 % Na2 O
Calcium 0.76 % Ca 1.07 % CaO
Aluminum 10.77 % Al 20.35 % Al2 O3
Silicon 31.50 % Si 67.39 % SiO2
Oxygen 48.66 % O
______ ______
100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Empirical Formula:
Na0.95 Ca0.05 Al1.05 Si2.95 O8
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:
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
X Ray Diffraction:
By Intensity(I/Io ): 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:
PEAlbite = 1.75 barns/electronU=PEAlbite x r Electron 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
See Also:
Links to other databases for Albite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - EUROmin Project
7 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
8 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
9 - Franklin Minerals(Palache)
10 - GeoScienceWorld
11 - Google Images
12 - Google Scholar
13 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
14 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
15 - HyperPhysics
16 - MinDAT
17 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
18 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
19 - Online Mineral Museum
20 - Philatelic Mineralogy
21 - QUT Mineral Atlas
22 - Ruff.Info
23 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
24 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
25 - WWW-MINCRYST
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
Espa�ol
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.