Full Description

Labradorite – is primary rock formation, kind of anorthosite. Mainly, it consists from plagioclase — labrador with insufficient impurity (not more than 5-7 %) of pyroxenes and ore minerals. The name is given after the first discovery – at Labrador Peninsula in the North America. Polished labradorite is characterized by blue, rarely red or yellow iridescence.

Labradorite blocks are coarse-grained, of black color and contain numerous crystals, iridescence in yellowish-green and blue colors. Well atomized and polished: belong to 1 class of radioactivity (used in construction without any restrictions). According to its physical and mechanical characteristics guarantee the lifetime for at least 200 years.

Properties
Acidity:  SiO2 45-52%.
Color is usually gray, brown or almost black. But also there are lighter varieties.
Structure is Entirely and uniformly crystalline, coarse-grained.
Texture - solid.
Density 2.7
Bedding form - laccoliths, lopoliths, dikes, stems.
Parting - bedded, parallelepiped
Genesis - intrusive rock formation.
Diagnostics - blue sheen on the faces of the constituent crystals.

Deposits
One of the most common minerals of the plagioclase is found in igneous rocks of basic composition (anorthosite, gabbro, etc.). Prevalent in the Adirondack Mountains (USA, state of New York) and Wichita (USA, state of Oklahoma). Large solid monoliths of labradorite are found in Canada (Labrador Peninsula), Finland, Ukraine.

The Practical Importance
Used as a high-quality facing stone mainly in monumental architecture, although some samples with a bright blue and green iridescence are used as decorative and ornamental stones. This is because the crystals fractured in Labrador or on the polished surface of thereof "play" in bright blue-green colors. Due to the low content of silica, labradorite is environmentally safe and can be used for internal work. Most often the labradorites are originally from Golovinskiy and Turchinskiy deposits in Ukraine.