plagioclase

[ pley-jee-uh-kleys ]

noun

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.

Origin of plagioclase

First recorded in 1865–70; plagio- + -clase

Also called soda-lime feldspar.

Other words from plagioclase

pla·gi·o·clas·tic [pley-jee-uh-klas-tik], /ˌpleɪ dʒi əˈklæs tɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby plagioclase

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plagioclase in a sentence

The rock—which also contains the plain-old mineral plagioclase—includes pink spinel, a prized jewel on Earth.
Space Bling: From Diamond Planets to Crystal Oceans to Precious Moon Jewels | Alexa Valiente, Jaewon Kang | October 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The felted or hyalopilitic texture is the most common, and plagioclase is the principal groundmass constituent.
Mount Rainier | Various
There is also some variation in the amount of quartz present, and in the relative importance of the orthoclase and plagioclase.
Mount Rainier | Various
Vogesites contain hornblende and orthoclase; spessartites, hornblende and plagioclase.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2 | Various
Minettes contain biotite and orthoclase; kersantites, biotite and plagioclase.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2 | Various

Essentially it is a crystalline-granular compound of plagioclase, generally Labradorite and diallage.
Volcanoes: Past and Present | Edward Hull

British Dictionary definitions for plagioclase

plagioclase

/ (ˈpleɪdʒɪəʊˌkleɪz) /

noun

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

Derived forms of plagioclase

plagioclastic (ˌpleɪdʒɪəʊˈklæstɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for plagioclase

plagioclase

[ plā′jē-ə-klās′ ]

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.

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