albite

American  

[al-bahyt] / ˈæl baɪt /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. the sodium end member of the plagioclase feldspar group, light-colored and found in alkalic igneous rocks.

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albite British  

/ ˈælbaɪt, ælˈbɪtɪk /

noun

1. a colourless, milky-white, yellow, pink, green, or black mineral of the feldspar group and plagioclase series, found in igneous sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Composition: sodium aluminium silicate. Formula: NaALSi 3 O 8 . Crystal structure: triclinic

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albite Scientific  

/ ăl′bīt′ /

1. A clear to milky white triclinic mineral of the plagioclase group. Albite is common in igneous rocks, especially granite, and in metamorphic rocks that formed at low temperatures. Chemical formula: NaAlSi ₃ O ₈ .

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Other Word Forms

• albitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of albite

1835–45; < Latin alb ( us ) white + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

albite

Several varieties of albite are distinguished, of which the following may be here specially mentioned.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

Zygadite, zig′a-dīt, n. a variety of albite found in thin twin crystals at Andreasberg, in the Harz Mountains.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Augite in fragments, in gneiss. —with albite, in lava.

From Geological Observations on South America by Darwin, Charles

Recently a few large isolated crystals with the form of icositetrahedra have been found with calcite and albite in a gold-vein on Frossnitz-Alpe in the Gross-Venediger, Tirol.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

Granite is a mixture of quartz, felspar, and mica in variable proportions, and the quality of the soil it yields depends on whether the variety of felspar present be orthoclase or albite.

From Elements of Agricultural Chemistry by Anderson, Thomas