Akatoreite is a rare manganese silicate mineral typically found as bladed, reddish-brown crystals or fibrous aggregates. It was originally discovered in the metamorphic manganese deposits of New Zealand and remains primarily a specimen for advanced mineral collectors due to its scarcity.
Is this akatoreite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch akatoreite with a known reference. Akatoreite sits at Mohs 6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: yellow white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: wheat sheaf.
Often confused with
Akatoreite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside akatoreite
Minerals reported to co-occur with akatoreite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mn₉Al₂Si₈O₂₄(OH)₈
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 3.48 g/cm³
- Streak
- Yellow white
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Wheat sheaf
- Cleavage
- Good on {010}, poor on {012}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In a manganiferous metachert and carbonate lens in schists (Akatore Creek, New Zealand); in manganiferous potassium-rich felsic metavolcanics (Norberg, Sweden)
Where rockhounds find akatoreite
Classic worldwide localities
- Three km south of Akatore Creek, east Otago, South Island, New Zealand
- Norberg, Sweden
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a manganiferous metachert and carbonate lens in schists (Akatore Creek, New Zealand); in manganiferous potassium-rich felsic metavolcanics (Norberg, Sweden). If you start seeing rhodochrosite, pyroxmangite, rhodonite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: wheat sheaf. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify akatoreite?+
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Find akatoreite on the map
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