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albite

albite

1 9.9
A white or pale feldspar mineral that contains sodium and forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks
  • noun
  • /ˈælˌbaɪt/
  • Specialized
: albita
  • These include serpentinite, certain quartz rocks (notably chrysoprase and fuchsite jasper), and green albitite (albite rock, a transformation of jadeitite).

Examples

  • As to the rarity of sodium in meteorites, they do contain traces of albite, a feldspar that contains sodium.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Blue-green jade artifacts contain slightly iron-enriched jadeite, a fair amount of titanite, and albite, all typical for the range of minerals found in the Guatemalan rocks.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The key minerals for jade from the primary Motagua Valley source are jadeite, omphacite, albite, white mica (two varieties), and titanite.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The white material is a mixture of the mineral albite, a plagioclase feldspar with a composition of Na (AlSi3O8), and lesser amounts of quartz (SiO2).

    Blog text (21)
  • The white mineral known as albite is commonly found in granite, contributing to its light color.

  • Geologists often identify albite in rock samples because of its distinctive pale appearance.

  • In the study of metamorphic rocks, albite is recognized for its presence alongside more common minerals like quartz.

Synonyms

feldspar
vsalbite
  • Specialized
2 9.0

A hard mineral found in many rocks like granite

is one specific sodium-bearing pale member of that broader mineral group
white feldspar
vsalbite
  • Specialized
7.0

A common white mineral that is in many rocks

is a specific sodium-rich form rather than a general white mineral

Surface Forms

albite singular
albitic plural

Morphology

albite = alb (opaque) = alb + ite

Although the suffix '-ite' signals a mineral, the root 'alb' is not a productive standalone English word and the term is technical, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning.

Etymology

The word albite comes from the Latin root alb- meaning 'white' and the mineral ending -ite. So it is named for its pale or white color, and you can see the same root in albino.