Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126871365" class="extiw" title="d:Q126871365"><span title="photographer from the United States">Shannon Heinle</span></a></bdi> (CC0)
tricliniccommonSilicates
Labradorite
(Na,Ca)(Al,Si)AlSi2O8
This sample displays labradorite, a dark gray to black mineral, exhibiting its characteristic iridescent play of colors (labradorescence) in flashes of blue, green, and yellow against a darker, possibly hypersthene, matrix.
Labradorite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6.5Crystal System
triclinicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
perfect on {001}, good on {010}Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
2.7Colors
gray, dark gray, black, greenish, brownish, iridescent blue, green, yellow, orange, redTransparency
translucentType Locality
Labrador, CanadaMineral Group
SilicatesUses
jewelry, ornamental stone, collectorAssociated Minerals
hypersthene, pyroxene, amphibole, magnetite, olivineRarity
commonGeological Context
Labradorite is a plagioclase feldspar commonly found in mafic igneous rocks such as basalt, gabbro, and anorthosite, forming during the crystallization of magma. It can also occur in some metamorphic rocks.
