The structures of the plagioclase felspars: VII. The heat treatment of intermediate plagioclases

Abstract

Summary Previous work has established that natural ‘low-temperature’ intermediate plagioclases show single-crystal diffraction patterns in which the subsidiary reflections are split into two; the separation of these split reflections appears to be dependent on the composition of the felspar. Several of these specimens have been subjected to varying heat treatments and their diffraction patterns examined. It is found that over the whole composition range the split subsidiary reflections have disappeared after treatment at high temperatures, and only the principal felspar reflections, which are characteristic of an albite-like structure, remain. Natural specimens initially showing anomalous patterns can also be homogenized in this way by suitable heat treatments. A careful study of the mode of disappearance shows that the separation of the subsidiary reflections is unchanged as long as they remain visible. The structural and petrological implications of this work are discussed.