Axinite is highly prized by collectors for its distinctive wedge-shaped, blade-like crystal habits that often appear sharp and flattened. It is most commonly found in contact metamorphic rocks, specifically in calc-silicate skarns and hydrothermal veins.
Is this axinite?
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 axinite with a known reference. Axinite sits at Mohs 6.5-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Axinite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Axinite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brown, violet-brown, plum-blue, grayish-brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: wedge-shaped crystals, tabular, massive.
Often confused with
Axinite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside axinite
Minerals reported to co-occur with axinite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂(Fe,Mg,Mn)Al₂BSi₄O₁₅(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5-7
- Density
- 3.27-3.35 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Wedge-shaped Crystals, Tabular, Massive
- Cleavage
- Good in One Direction
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Contact Zones
- Typical price
- $20-200 thumbnail, $300-2000+ cabinet specimen
Where rockhounds find axinite
6 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Bourg-d'Oisans, France
- Cornwall, England
- Baja California, Mexico
- New Jersey, USA
- Russia
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic contact zones country, the host setting where axinite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, epidote in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a wedge-shaped crystals, tabular, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New Jersey, California. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find axinite on the map
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