English

Nepheline

Noun

nepheline ‎(countable and uncountable, plural nephelines)

1. (mineralogy) A feldspathoid mineral of silica-poor igneous, plutonic and volcanic rocks. Chemically, nepheline is a plagioclase feldspar with insufficient silica to satisfy the chemical bonds. Because of the unfilled bonds, nepheline weathers rapidly and can only be seen as inclusions in freshly broken rock.

Synonyms

• nephelite

Translations