L
Labradorite

See plagioclase feldspar.

Lamination

Sequences of thin bedding (or “laminae”) occurring because of variations in the sediment supply in sedimentary rocks. Potter et al. (2005) suggests that laminae are <1 cm.

Lamprophyllite
Laponite®

Laponite is a synthetic clay mineral with a hectorite-like composition, Na0.7Si8Mg5.5Li0.3O20(OH)4, and structure. Laponite is manufactured by BYK Additives & Instruments to modify the rheology of aqueous fluids. Laponite-S482 is a common excipient in pharmaceuticals.

Larvikite

Syenite (an igneous rock) dominated by anorthoclase with iridescent colors.

Lassallite

An obsolete name for a poorly defined material from Haute-Loire, France, possibly palygorskite-sepiolite.

Lattice

A collection of equivalent points (i.e., identipoints) which are distributed periodically in space, and this term, in three dimensional space, commonly refers to Bravais lattices. From Guggenheim et al. (2006) and references therein. The term “layer lattice” is incorrect because it implies a structure rather than a lattice.
Cf., array, Bravais lattice, identipoint, structure

Lattice misfit

A lattice misfit is where there are (one or more) dimensional mismatches between a substrate crystal and an overgrowth crystal that has formed by heterogeneous nucleation. A lattice misfit parameter, d, may be calculated from d = Da/a, where a is the lattice parameter of the (stress-free) substrate crystal, and Da is the difference in lattice parameters between the underlying substrate and the overgrowth precipitate.
Cf., epitaxy, lattice

Laumontite

See zeolite.

Layer

For phyllosilicates, a layer (see Fig. 1) contains one or more tetrahedral sheets and an octahedral sheet. There are two types of layers, depending on the ratios of the component sheets: a “1:1 layer” has one tetrahedral sheet and one octahedral sheet, whereas a “2:1 layer” has an octahedral sheet between two opposing tetrahedral sheets. Quot Guggenheim et al. (2006).
See references therein.
Cf., plane, sheet, tetrahedral sheet, octahedral sheet