mineral
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase / Microcline)
KAlSi3O8
Hardness: 6 on Mohs scale. Color: Salmon-pink to reddish-brown. Luster: Vitreous to pearly. Crystal system: Monoclinic or Triclinic. Cleavage: Two directions at nearly 90 degrees.
- Hardness
- 6 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Salmon-pink to reddish-brown
- Luster
- Vitreous to pearly
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Physical properties
Hardness: 6 on Mohs scale. Color: Salmon-pink to reddish-brown. Luster: Vitreous to pearly. Crystal system: Monoclinic or Triclinic. Cleavage: Two directions at nearly 90 degrees.
Formation & geological history
Forms in igneous rocks like granite and pegmatites through crystallization of magma, as well as in high-grade metamorphic rocks.
Uses & applications
Used extensively in the glassmaking and ceramics industries, as well as a constituent of dimension stone (granite counter tops and building facades). Specimen collecting.
Geological facts
Although placed in the box labeled 'Feldspar' (above) or near 'Jasper' in this collection grid, this salmon-pink specimen exhibits classic feldspar cleavage surfaces, pearly-to-vitreous luster, and blocky habit typical of K-feldspar rather than dense microcrystalline quartz jasper.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its distinctive salmon-pink color, blocky cleavage planes meeting at right angles, and hardness of 6. Found abundantly worldwide in continental crustal rocks.
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