plagioclase science definition

Any of a series of common feldspar minerals, consisting of differing mixtures of sodium and calcium aluminum silicates. Plagioclase is typically white, yellow, or reddish-gray, but it can also be blue to black. It occurs in igneous rocks. The minerals albite, oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, bytownite, and anorthite are all plagioclases. Chemical formula: (Na,Ca)Al(Si,Al)Si₂O₈.