plagioclase

noun

1. any of the feldspar minerals varying in composition from acidic albite, NaAlSi3O8, to basic anorthite, CaAl2Si2O8, found in most igneous rocks: shows twinning striations on good cleavage surfaces.

noun

1. a series of feldspar minerals consisting of a mixture of sodium and calcium aluminium silicates in triclinic crystalline form: includes albite, oligoclase, and labradorite

n.“triclinic feldspar,” 1868, from German, coined 1847 by German mineralogist Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (1791-1873) from plagio- + Greek klasis “fracture,” from stem of klan “to break” (see clastic). Related: Plagioclastic.

1. Any of a series of common feldspar minerals, consisting of differing mixtures of sodium and calcium aluminum silicates. Plagioclase is typically white, yellow, or reddish-gray, but it can also be blue to black. It occurs in igneous rocks. The minerals albite, oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, bytownite, and anorthite are all plagioclases. Chemical formula: (Na,Ca)Al(Si,Al)Si2O8.