Feldspars (KAlSi3O8 – NaAlSi3O8 – CaAl2Si2O8) are a group of

rock-forming tectosilicate minerals that make up about 41% of

the Earth's continental crust by weight.[2]
Feldspars crystallize from magma as veins in
both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks and are also
present in many types of metamorphic rock.[3] Rock formed
almost entirely of calcic plagioclase feldspar (see below) is
known as anorthosite.[4] Feldspars are also found in many
types of sedimentary rocks.[5]

Etymology[edit]
The name feldspar derives from the German Feldspat, a
compound of the words Feld, "field", and Spat, "a rock that
does not contain ore".[6] The change from Spat to -spar was
influenced by the English word spar,[7] meaning a non-opaque
mineral with good cleavage.[8] Feldspathic refers to materials
that contain feldspar. The alternate spelling, felspar, has
largely fallen out of use.

Compositions[edit]
This group of minerals consists of tectosilicates. Compositions of major elements in common
feldspars can be expressed in terms of three endmembers:

 potassium feldspar (K-spar) endmember KAlSi3O8,[9]

 albite endmember NaAlSi3O8,[9]
 anorthite endmember CaAl2Si2O8.[9]
Solid solutions between K-feldspar and albite are called "alkali feldspar".[9] Solid solutions between
albite and anorthite are called "plagioclase",[9] or more properly "plagioclase feldspar". Only limited
solid solution occurs between K-feldspar and anorthite, and in the two other solid
solutions, immiscibility occurs at temperatures common in the crust of the Earth. Albite is considered
both a plagioclase and alkali feldspar.

Alkali feldspars[edit]
The alkali feldspars are as follows:

 orthoclase (monoclinic)[10] KAlSi3O8,

 sanidine (monoclinic)[11] (K,Na)AlSi3O8,
 microcline (triclinic)[12] KAlSi3O8,
 anorthoclase (triclinic) (Na,K)AlSi3O8.
Sanidine is stable at the highest temperatures, and microcline at the lowest.[10][11] Perthite is a typical
texture in alkali feldspar, due to exsolution of contrasting alkali feldspar compositions during cooling
of an intermediate composition. The perthitic textures in the alkali feldspars of many granites can be
seen with the naked eye.[13] Microperthitic textures in crystals are visible using a light microscope,
whereas cryptoperthitic textures can be seen only with an electron microscope.

Barium feldspars[edit]
Barium feldspars are also considered alkali feldspars. Barium feldspars form as the result of the
substitution of barium for potassium in the mineral structure. The barium feldspars are monoclinic
and include the following:

 celsian BaAl2Si2O8,[14]
 hyalophane (K,Ba)(Al,Si)4O8.[15]
Plagioclase feldspars[edit]
The plagioclase feldspars are triclinic. The plagioclase series follows (with percent anorthite in
parentheses):

 albite (0 to 10) NaAlSi3O8,

 oligoclase (10 to 30) (Na,Ca)(Al,Si)AlSi2O8,
 andesine (30 to 50) NaAlSi3O8—CaAl2Si2O8,
 labradorite (50 to 70) (Ca,Na)Al(Al,Si)Si2O8,
 bytownite (70 to 90) (NaSi,CaAl)AlSi2O8,
 anorthite (90 to 100) CaAl2Si2O8.
Intermediate compositions of plagioclase feldspar also may exsolve to two feldspars of contrasting
composition during cooling, but diffusion is much slower than in alkali feldspar, and the resulting two-
feldspar intergrowths typically are too fine-grained to be visible with optical microscopes.
The immiscibility gaps in the plagioclase solid solutions are complex compared to the gap in the
alkali feldspars. The play of colours visible in some feldspar of labradorite composition is due to very
fine-grained exsolution lamellae. The specific gravity in the plagioclase series increases
from albite (2.62 g/cm3) to anorthite (2.72–2.75 g/cm3).

Weathering[edit]
Chemical weathering of feldspars results in the formation of clay minerals[16] such
as illite and kaolinite.

Production and uses[edit]

About 20 million tonnes of feldspar were produced in 2010, mostly by three countries: Italy (4.7 Mt),
Turkey (4.5 Mt), and China (2 Mt).[17]
Feldspar is a common raw material used in glassmaking, ceramics, and to some extent as a filler
and extender in paint, plastics, and rubber. In glassmaking, alumina from feldspar improves product
hardness, durability, and resistance to chemical corrosion. In ceramics, the alkalis in feldspar
(calcium oxide, potassium oxide, and sodium oxide) act as a flux, lowering the melting temperature
of a mixture. Fluxes melt at an early stage in the firing process, forming a glassy matrix that bonds
the other components of the system together. In the US, about 66% of feldspar is consumed in
glassmaking, including glass containers and glass fiber. Ceramics (including electrical insulators,
sanitaryware, pottery, tableware, and tile) and other uses, such as fillers, accounted for the
remainder.[18]
In earth sciences and archaeology, feldspars are used for K-Ar dating, argon-argon dating,
and luminescence dating.
In October 2012, the Mars Curiosity rover analyzed a rock that turned out to have a high feldspar
content.[19]