orthoclase
IPA: ˈɔrθʌkɫeɪs
noun
- (mineralogy) Potassium aluminum silicate, KAlSi₃O₈, a common feldspar of igneous, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks. Orthoclase is the main feldspar of pegmatite occurrences, where it is most commonly flesh-colored. Orthoclase is used in the ceramic and glass industries and as a decorative gravel.
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Examples of "orthoclase" in Sentences
- It is a frequent associate of orthoclase.
- The higher temperature polymorph of orthoclase is sanidine.
- The lower temperature polymorph of orthoclase is microcline.
- Orthoclase is a monoclinic polymorph stable at lower temperatures.
- Moonstone is composed of two feldspar species, orthoclase and albite.
- The gem known as moonstone see below is largely composed of orthoclase.
- Microxenocrysts of orthoclase likely exist in andesite at Ring Mountain.
- Enormous crystals of orthoclase were common, some over five feet in diameter.
- If the rock has more orthoclase or potassium feldspar it grades into a syenite.
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