ALBITE

Albite, a sodium aluminum silicate mineral of the feldspar group, was tentatively reported from Franklin by Larsen and Shannon (1922), but this material has been shown to be hyalophane. Albite was reported from the Buckwheat Dolomite by Palache (1908, 1935) and illustrated by Peters et al. (1983). Frondel (1972) reported its occurrence with rhodonite and bustamite at Franklin, with sphalerite at Sterling Hill, and in veinlets in the camptonite dikes at Franklin. Although known from both orebodies and the Franklin Marble and occurring in the local gneisses, it is not a mineral of significance in the ores or calcium-silicates. There are no extant analytical, crystallographic, physical, or optical data for local material. Northup and Lee (1940) reported a pale bluish white thermoluminescence for material purportedly from Franklin. [Dunn] has observed probable white albite, in large masses with bannisterite, quartz, and richterite, and with actinolite and rhodonite, both from Franklin. Much of the pegmatitic microcline is perthitic. (Dunn, 1995)

Location Found:

Franklin and Ogdensburg

Mineral Note:

The mineral oligoclase found in earlier Franklin Mineral Lists is a variety of albite.

Year Discovered:

1815

Formula:

NaAlSi₃O₈

Essential Elements:

Aluminum, Oxygen, Silicon, Sodium

All Elements in Formula:

Aluminum, Oxygen, Silicon, Sodium

IMA Status:

Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"

Fluorescent Mineral Properties

Shortwave UV light:

Red, weak to moderate brightness

Additional Information:

Calcsilicate

To find out more about this mineral at minDat's website, follow this link Albite

References:

Dunn, Pete J. (1995). Franklin and Sterling Hill New Jersey: the world's most magnificent mineral deposits. Franklin, NJ.: The Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society. p.508

Frondel, Clifford (1972). The minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, a checklist. NY.: John Willey & Sons. p.39

The Picking Table References

	PT Issue and Page	Description / Comment
	V. 64, No. 2 - Fall 2023, pg. 21	The Camptonite Dike at Franklin–What Is It Really? Part Two, Mineralogy, David Vonderheide
View Issue	V. 57, No. 2 - Fall 2016, pg. 12	Fluorescent Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, N.J., Part 1, Richard C. Bostwick - Albite
View Issue	V. 33, No. 2 - Fall 1992, pg. 10	The Check List of Franklin-Sterling Hill Fluorescent Minerals - Albite (Fluorescent Info)
View Issue	V. 27 No. 2 - Fall 1986, pg. 5	Minerals of the Franklin Quarry, Philip P. Betancourt, Albite
View Issue	V. 24 No. 2 - Fall 1983, pg. 11	Minerals of the Buckwheat Dolomite Franklin, New Jersey, Albite (small description)

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