Albite
Species
Common · NaAlSi₃O₈
The sodium end of the plagioclase feldspar series, and one of the commonest minerals of the crust. Its repeated twinning rules the fine striations seen on cleavage faces of granites and pegmatites.
Identity
- Formula
- NaAlSi₃O₈
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Part of
- Moonstone
- Mineral group
- Labradorite, Moonstone, Orthoclase, Sunstone
- Also known as
- Sodium feldspar, Peristerite
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Habits
- Tabular, Granular, Massive
- Fracture
- Uneven
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5
- Density
- 2.62 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Colors
- white, gray, bluish white, greenish gray, reddish white
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Transparent, Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Igneous, Metamorphic
- Host rocks
- Granite, Schist and gneiss
- Associated minerals
- Quartz, Orthoclase, Mica, biotite
- Found in
- Pegmatite, Pegmatite deposit
- Geography
- Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil, USA
Classification
- Rarity
- Common
- Gem quality
- No
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Albite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
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