Orthoclase

Orthoclase, or orthoclase feldspar

(endmember formula KAlSi3O8), is an
important tectosilicate mineral which
forms igneous rock. The name is from the
Ancient Greek for "straight fracture,"
because its two cleavage planes are at
right angles to each other. It is a type of
potassium feldspar, also known as K-
feldspar. The gem known as moonstone
(see below) is largely composed of
orthoclase.
 Orthoclase

General

Category Silicate mineral

Formula KAlSi3O8
(repeating
unit)

Strunz 9.FA.30
classification

Crystal system Monoclinic

Crystal class Prismatic (2/m)

(same H-M symbol)

Space group C2/m

Identification
Color Colorless, greenish, greyish
yellow, white, pink

Crystal habit Can be anhedral or euhedral.

Grains are commonly elongate
with a tabular appearance.

Twinning Typically displays Carlsbad

twinning. Baveno and manebach
twins have also been reported in
orthoclase.

Cleavage Has perfect cleavage on {001}

and good cleavage on {010}.
Cleavages intersect at 90°. It can
be difficult to see cleavage in
thin section due to orthoclase's
low relief.

Mohs scale 6 (defining mineral)

hardness
Luster Vitreous, pearly on cleavage
surfaces

Streak white

Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent

Specific 2.55–2.63
gravity

Optical Biaxial (-), 2V = 65–75

properties

Refractive nα = 1.518–1.520
index nβ = 1.522–1.524
nγ = 1.522–1.525

Birefringence 0.0050–0.0060

Dispersion relatively strong

Extinction parallel to cleavage

Length no slow or fast length

fast/slow
Diagnostic Distinguishable from microcline
features by a lack in gridiron twinning.
Distinguishable from sanidine by
a larger 2Vx.

Other Low negative relief;

characteristics Alters to sericite or clay
(commonly)

References [1][2][3]

Formation and subtypes

Orthoclase is a common constituent of
most granites and other felsic igneous
rocks and often forms huge crystals and
masses in pegmatite.
Typically, the pure potassium endmember
of orthoclase forms a solid solution with
albite, the sodium endmember
(NaAlSi3O8), of plagioclase. While slowly
cooling within the earth, sodium-rich albite
lamellae form by exsolution, enriching the
remaining orthoclase with potassium. The
resulting intergrowth of the two feldspars
is called perthite.

Adularia with pyrite incrustations

The higher-temperature polymorph of
KAlSi3O8 is sanidine. Sanidine is common
in rapidly cooled volcanic rocks such as
obsidian and felsic pyroclastic rocks, and
is notably found in trachytes of the
Drachenfels, Germany. The lower-
temperature polymorph of KAlSi3O8 is
microcline.

Adularia is a low temperature form of

either microcline or orthoclase originally
reported from the low temperature
hydrothermal deposits in the Adula Alps of
Switzerland.[4] It was first described by
Ermenegildo Pini in 1781.[5] The optical
effect of adularescence in moonstone is
typically due to adularia.[6]

The largest documented single crystal of

orthoclase was found in the Ural
mountains in Russia. It measured
~10×10×0.4 m and weighed ~100 tons.[7]

Uses
Together with the other potassium
feldspars, orthoclase is a common raw
material for the manufacture of some
glasses and some ceramics such as
porcelain, and as a constituent of scouring
powder.
Some intergrowths of orthoclase and
albite have an attractive pale luster and are
called moonstone when used in jewellery.
Most moonstones are translucent and
white, although grey and peach-colored
varieties also occur. In gemology, their
luster is called adularescence and is
typically described as creamy or silvery
white with a "billowy" quality. It is the state
gem of Florida.

The gemstone commonly called rainbow

moonstone is more properly a colorless
form of labradorite and can be
distinguished from "true" moonstone by its
greater transparency and play of color,
although their value and durability do not
greatly differ.

Orthoclase is one of the ten defining

minerals of the Mohs scale of mineral
hardness, on which it is listed as having a
hardness of 6.

NASA's Curiosity Rover discovery of high

levels of orthoclase in Martian sandstones
suggested that some Martian rocks may
have experienced complex geological
processing, such as repeated melting.[8]

See also
List of minerals
 Wikimedia Commons has media related
to Orthoclase.

References
1. Mindat
2. Handbook of Mineralogy
3. Webmineral
4. Adularia on Mindat
5. Roth, Philippe (2006). "The early history
of Tremolite" (PDF). Axis. 2 (3): 1–10.
6. Moonstone on the International Gem
Society
7. P. C. Rickwood (1981). "The largest
crystals" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 66:
885–907.
8.
http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/june/nasa
-s-mars-curiosity-rover-marks-first-martian-
year-with-mission-successes

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