| Mineral | ALBITE |
| Chemistry | Na[AlSi 3 O 8 ] |
| Class | Silicates |
| Uses | ornamental stone, ceramics and mineral specimens. |
| Color | white bluish grey pink etc. |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Transparency | crystals are translucent to opaque and only sometimes transparent. |
| CrystalSystem | Triclinic |
| CrystalHabits | include blocky, tabular and platy crystals.The typical crystal has a nearly rectangular or square cross-section with slightly slanted dome and pinacoid terminations.A variety called Cleavelandite forms very thin platy crystals that can grow rather large (15+ cm across) but can maintain an even thickness of only a few millimeters.Twinning is almost universal in albite.Crystals can be twinned according to the Albite, Carlsbad, Manebach and Baveno laws.Albite is a common constituent of granitic and syenite rocks.Can also be massive. |
| Cleavage | Perfect on [001]good on [010] |
| Fracture | perfect in one and good in another direction forming nearly right angled prisms. |
| Hardness | 6 - 6½ |
| Streak | White |
| Characteristics | index of refraction is 1.53.Lamellar twinning may cause a grooved effect on cystal surfaces that appear as striations.Some albite may show an opalescence due to twinning and is referred to as moonstone. |
| Occurences | include Labrador, Canada and the Scandinavian Peninsula. |
| Indicators | occurence, crystal habit, twinning, striations, density and index of refraction. |
| DensityNote | average |
| IMAStatus | Approved - Published prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - Gra |
| Discovered | 1815 |
| CellParameters | a = 8.16b = 12.87c = 7.11 α=93.45°β=116.4°γ=90.28° |
| Ratio | a:b:c = 0.634 : 1 : 0.552 |
| OpticalType | Biaxial (+) |
| RI | n α =1.528 - 1.533 n β =1.532 - 1.537 n |
| Birefringence | δ=0.010 |
| SurfaceRelief | Low |
| TypeLocality | Finnbo Falun Dalarna Sweden |
| Strunz | 8/J.07-20 8 : Silicates J : Tectosilicates (network) without anions unfamiliar to the tetraheders 07 : Feldspar groupAnorthoclase - Anorthite - Banalcite series |
