BY CHISOM IBEMERE
Albite is part of plagioclase feldspar group which is an Isomorphous solid solution series. It contains sodium with no calcium at one end and another end, Anorthite has calcium with no sodium. While the intermediary members may include Brytownite, Labradorite, Oligoclase, Andesine.
Albite may have potassium which may replace sodium. If 10% or more of the potassium replaced sodium, it won’t be considered as Albite but Anorthoclase.
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Albite is a common and rock forming mineral which may take more time to crystallize when compared to other Feldspars. It forms in large and well crystallized examples and known to be a major accessory mineral to some rare and uncommon minerals.
The word “Albite” comes from the latin word “albus” meaning white and was first discovered in Sweden in 1815. It can be seen in many countries which may include Canada, Brazil, Labrador and Nigeria.
Albite has a mohs hardness of 6-6.5 and cannot be easily scratched by objects as knife. It is known to be one of the six different feldspar minerals that contain sodium, calcium or potassium. It may be white, brown, yellow, red, green or colourless as the case may be. It has fine parallel lines on its cleavage surfaces. It is believed that to aid in the healing of some health problems like eye, and muscle issues.
Albite are mostly found in pegmatite, granite and also in low grade metamorphic rocks. They are used in the industry for the production of ceramics and glass. Deposits of Albite can be seen in Jigawa, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Oyo and plateau States of Nigeria.
