Barylite is a rare barium beryllium silicate known for its strong blue fluorescence under short-wave ultraviolet light. It is most frequently found in metamorphic skarns or alkaline intrusive complexes as tabular crystals or in massive form.
Is this barylite?
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 barylite with a known reference. Barylite sits at Mohs 7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous to greasy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, bluish, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: platy.
Often confused with
Barylite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside barylite
Minerals reported to co-occur with barylite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- BaBe₂Si₂O₇
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Density
- 4.066 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous to greasy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Platy
- Cleavage
- Good on {001} and {100}, imperfect on {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Mineralogical specimen
- Host rock
- In a banded vein in a metamorphosed stratiform zinc orebody (Franklin, New Jersey, USA); in an “amazonite" pocket (Park Co., Colorado, USA)
Where rockhounds find barylite
Classic worldwide localities
- Franklin, Sussex Co., New Jersey, an undisclosed locality in Park Co., Colorado, USA
- Långban, Värmland, Sweden
- Arø Island, Langesundsfjord, and at Bratthagen, 10 km northwest of Larvik, Lågendal, Norway
- Narssârssuk, Greenland
- Seal Lake and Letitia Lake, Labrador, Newfoundland, and Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
- Vishnevye-Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a banded vein in a metamorphosed stratiform zinc orebody (Franklin, New Jersey, USA); in an “amazonite" pocket (Park Co., Colorado, USA). If you start seeing hedyphane, willemite, microcline in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: platy. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify barylite?+
Where is barylite found?+
Is barylite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like barylite?+
What minerals are found with barylite?+
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What is barylite used for?+
Find barylite on the map
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