Transmission electron microscope study of the domain structures associated with the b-, c-, d-, e- and f-reflections in plagioclase feldspars

Ten specimens of plagioclase feldspars (An₁₀₀ to An₂₅) have been examined by transmission electron microscopy using dark field and direct lattice imaging. The specimens are classified into two groups: (i) those that have been quenched from the melt (synthetic An₁₀₀, An₉₅, An₆₆ and An₅₀) and (ii) those that have been cooled relatively slowly (An₉₄, An₇₇, An₇₅, An₅₂, An₃₂ and An₂₆). The observed contrast is interpreted in detail using the two-beam dynamical theory of electron diffraction contrast. The fault vectors of the antiphase boundaries (APBs) observed in An₁₀₀ and An₇₇ are determined. Direct resolution of the sublattice and superlattice in specimens of intermediate composition (An₇₅ to An₂₅) indicates that the superlattice is not a regular array of out-of-step faults and is probably due to a simple sinusoidal distortion of the structure. Only three specimens (An₁₀₀, An₇₇ and An₅₀) exhibited a single structural type. All the remaining specimens consisted of intergrowths of two structural types. The structural type present in any particular specimen depends upon its An-content and thermal history. The rate of transformation from any structural type to a lower-temperature structural type appears to decrease with decreasing An-content.