Corresponding twins

Macles correspondantes (Fr). Geminati corrispondenti (It)

Defonition

In case of twinning by merohedry, when the twin element is twofold and the crystal is centrosymmetric, the twin operation can be described either as a rotation or as a reflection (the two operations being equivalent under the action of the center).

In case of twinning by pseudomerohedry, instead, the two twin operations are no longer equivalent even in centrosymmetric crystals but produce different twins, which are called reciprocal twins (Mügge, 1898) or corresponding twins (Friedel, 1904, 1926). One of the most classical examples is that of albite vs. pericline twins in feldspars.

Pairs of corresponding twins normally do not have the same frequency of occurrence, as one would be tempted to assume from the identical value of their twin obliquity.