Microcline

Microcline: an alkali feldspar and a potassium tectosilicate (KAlSi₃O₈), it is dimorphic with orthoclase (dimorphism: the property of certain chemical compounds to crystallize in two different forms). During magma cooling, it transforms from a monoclinic to a triclinic structure, which leads to the formation of twin lamellae (Albite–Pericline) that create a characteristic grid-like pattern. Its color ranges from pink, yellow, green, and blue (Amazonite), to occasionally white.

microclino
(Photo: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0/Wikimedia Commons, License CC BY-SA 3.0)

back to the gemological glossary