Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a continuous solid solution series, more properly known as the plagioclase feldspar series. Ateration to fine-grained material typically occurs along fractures, twin planes, or cleavages. This twinning is the most characteristic identifying feature of plagioclase, and makes its … Key optical features of plagioclase in thin section: Colourless Low relief Low order interference colours Multiple twinning (often untwinned in low to medium grade metamorphic rocks) Common minerals that might be confused with plagioclase and occur in similar rocks: K-feldspar (either simple or polysynthetitc twinning, perthitic texture), The intermediate members of the plagioclase group are very similar to each other and normally cannot be distinguished except by their optical properties. I-50 Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius S. Hurbut, Jr.; Johann Friedrich Christian Hessel (1796–1872), rock in the highlands of the Earth's moon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plagioclase&oldid=982515290, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Biaxial (+) albite, biaxial (-) anorthite, This page was last edited on 8 October 2020, at 16:50. Plagioclase is a major constituent mineral in the Earth's crust, and is consequently an important diagnostic tool in petrology for identifying the composition, origin and evolution of igneous rocks. Relief. A “thin section” of rock is a sample that is mounted to a microscope slide and cut so thin that you can see light through it. Colour - colourless. The series ranges from albite to anorthite endmembers (with respective compositions NaAlSi3O8 to CaAl2Si2O8), where sodium and calcium atoms can substitute for each other in the mineral's crystal lattice structure. Mineral. There are several named plagioclase feldspars that fall between albite and anorthite in the series. Rocks under the Microscope. Plagioclase is a series of tectosilicate (framework silicate) minerals within the feldspar group. Colorless in thin section; Grains may appear cloudy due to alteration. 498). In thin section the plagioclase crystals show a distinctive cream coloured clouding, probably due to oriented inclusions of spinel (Poldervaart and Gilkey, 1954). Some common rock types as seen under the microscope. Plagioclase. Interference colours - 1st order To be updated with all the latest minerals and rocks under the microscope. (2013). Cleavage. This was first shown by the German mineralogist Johann Friedrich Christian Hessel (1796–1872) in 1826. Plagioclase – (series of minerals in the feldspar group), from Greek for, Plagioclase distinguishing features under the microscope, Plagioclase (polysynthetic twinning) #1 thin section (hFOV 2mm), Plagioclase (polysynthetic twinning) #2 thin section (hFOV 2mm), Plagioclase (zonar structure) #1 thin section (hFOV 2mm), Plagioclase (zonar structure) #2 thin section (hFOV 2mm), Plagioclase (myrmekite) #1 thin section (hFOV 2mm). The following table shows their compositio… Framework Silicates. Search for Plagioclase using: Cleavages intersect at 93 °, usually not observed in thin section. Home Atlas of … Plane/cross-polarized light, field width is 3 mm. The process of creating a thin section is a blend of artistry, technology and science. Analysis of thermal emission spectra from the surface of Mars suggests that plagioclase is the most abundant mineral in the crust of Mars.[3]. Pyroxene (wholly igneous) relicts are augite with a composition ranging from Wo 43 En 44 Fs 13 to Wo 45 En 39 Fs 17 . The glass colorless to light-brown, and hard to see with all the air bubbles entrained in the epoxy (bubbles in epoxy have thin, birefringent rims). RI - 1.527-1.590. ... Plagioclase is present in the form of black … In thin section or grain mount the general lack of pleochroism and the twinning are good indicators. The composition of a plagioclase feldspar is typically denoted by its overall fraction of anorthite (%An) or albite (%Ab), and readily determined by measuring the plagioclase crystal's refractive index in crushed grain mounts, or its extinction angle in thin section under a polarizing microscope. Its name comes from Ancient Greek πλάγιος (plágios, "oblique") + κλᾰ́σῐς (klásis, "fracture"), in reference to its two cleavage angles. Birefringence - 0.012-0.013. In the solid solution series, the plagioclase refractive index varies from slightly lower than quartz to somewhat above it. Plagioclase is also a major constituent of rock in the highlands of the Earth's moon. Colour and Pleochroism. The following table shows their compositions in terms of constituent anorthite and albite percentages. triclinic (+,-) Relief - low. These are photomicrographs - very thin slices of rock, seen in plane-polarised light, or between crossed polarisers, when the colours seen are produced by interference of light. In thin section, plagioclase commonly shows the characteristic albite polysynthetic twinning. Plagioclase in hand samples is often identified by its polysynthetic crystal twinning or 'record-groove' effect. There are several phenocrysts of brown to green pyroxene, magnetite, and plagioclase. The extinction angle is an optical characteristic and varies with the albite fraction (%Ab). Plagioclase thin section photomicrographs are taken in plane-polarized light and cross-polarized light, and can easily be recognized under the microscope. Plagioclase, unzoned, in a hornblende diorite. 11 - Minerals in Thin Section-University of North Carolina 12 - Minerals in Thin Sections-Humboldt State 13 - Online Mineral Museum 14 - QUT Mineral Atlas 15 - Ruff.Info 16 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections 17 - WWW-MINCRYST. Low negative or positive relief. Plagioclase feldspar thin section.The series ranges from albite to anorthite endmembers with respective compositions naalsi3o8 to caal2si2o8 where sodium and calcium atoms can substitute for each other in the mineral s crystal lattice structure. Deer, W. A., Howie, R. A., & Zussman, J. The extinction angle is an optical characteristic and varies with the albite fraction (%Ab).