alkali feldspar

alkali feldspar
Any of several common silicate minerals that often occur as whitish to variously coloured, glassy crystals.

The alkali feldspars may be regarded as mixtures of sodium aluminosilicate (NaAlSi3O8) and potassium aluminosilicate (KAlSi3O8). Both the sodium and potassium aluminosilicates have several distinct forms, each with a different structure. Alkali feldspars are used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics; transparent, highly coloured, or iridescent varieties are sometimes used as gemstones. They are primarily important, however, as constituents of rocks (see plagioclase).

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      any of several common silicate minerals that often occur as variously coloured, glassy crystals. They are used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics; transparent, highly coloured, or iridescent varieties are sometimes used as gemstones. The alkali feldspars are primarily important as constituents of rocks; they are very widespread and abundant in alkali and acidic igneous rocks (particularly syenites, granites, and granodiorites), in pegmatites, and in gneisses. The alkali feldspars may be regarded as mixtures of sodium aluminosilicate (NaAlSi3O8) and potassium aluminosilicate (KAlSi3O8). Both the sodium and potassium aluminosilicates have several distinct forms, each form with a different structure. The form stable at high temperatures is sanidine (a sodium aluminosilicate), which has a random distribution of aluminum and silicon atoms in its crystal structure. Low-temperature forms include orthoclase, microcline, and adularia (all potassium aluminosilicates); these have an ordered arrangement of such atoms. If specimens of the high-temperature varieties are rapidly cooled, the random distribution is preserved. In the Earth's crust the alkali feldspars display a range of ordering from the fully random distribution of sanidine and orthoclase to the fully ordered distribution of microcline. See feldspar.

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  • Alkali feldspar — The alkali feldspar group are those feldspar minerals rich in the alkali elements potassium and sodium. The alkali feldspars include: albite, anorthoclase, microcline, orthoclase and sanidine. [http://www.mindat.org/min 118.html Mindat]… …   Wikipedia

  • alkali feldspar — noun : feldspar containing alkali metals (as sodium or potassium or both) but little calcium …   Useful english dictionary

  • alkali feldspar — noun Geology any of the group of feldspars rich in sodium and/or potassium …   English new terms dictionary

  • Feldspar — is the name of a group of rock forming minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth s crust.Feldspar. [http://www.ima na.org/about industrial minerals/feldspar.asp What is Feldspar?] Industrial Minerals Association. Retrieved on July 18… …   Wikipedia

  • feldspar — /feld spahr , fel /, n. any of a group of minerals, principally aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium, and calcium, characterized by two cleavages at nearly right angles: one of the most important constituents of igneous rocks. Also, felspar.… …   Universalium

  • feldspar — noun Any of a large group of rock forming minerals that, together, make up about 60% of the earths outer crust. The feldspars are all aluminum silicates of the alkali metals sodium, potassium, calcium and barium. Feldspars are the principal… …   Wiktionary

  • Myrmekite — describes a vermicular, or wormy, intergrowth of quartz in plagioclase. The intergrowths are microscopic in scale, typically with maximum dimensions less than 1 millimeter. The plagioclase is sodium rich, usually albite or oligoclase. These… …   Wikipedia

  • igneous rock — Any of various crystalline or glassy, noncrystalline rocks formed by the cooling and solidification of molten earth material (magma). Igneous rocks comprise one of the three principal classes of rocks, the others being metamorphic and sedimentary …   Universalium

  • Nepheline syenite — of the Intrusive Complex of Tanguá, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (Motoki et al., 2011a) Nephelene syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock that consists largely of nepheline and alkali feldspar. The rocks are mostly pale colored, grey or… …   Wikipedia

  • Granite — For other uses, see Granite (disambiguation). Granite Igneous Rock Granite containing potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, quartz, and biotite and/or amphibole Composi …   Wikipedia

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