Cafetite is an extremely rare calcium-magnesium-titanium oxide mineral typically found in late-stage hydrothermal cavities within alkaline igneous rocks. It usually forms as tiny, delicate, yellow or colorless acicular needles or prismatic crystals that are highly sought after by mineral micromounters.
Is this cafetite?
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 cafetite with a known reference. Cafetite sits at Mohs 3-4 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Cafetite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Cafetite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, brown, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, needles, aggregates.
Often confused with
Cafetite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Anatase is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5-6 vs. 3-4); streak differs — Cafetite leaves white, Anatase leaves white to pale yellow; luster reads vitreous on Cafetite and adamantine on Anatase.
How to tell apart: Brookite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5-6 vs. 3-4); streak differs — Cafetite leaves white, Brookite leaves white to yellowish-white; luster reads vitreous on Cafetite and submetallic on Brookite.
How to tell apart: Perovskite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5 vs. 3-4); luster reads vitreous on Cafetite and adamantine on Perovskite.
Often found alongside cafetite
Minerals reported to co-occur with cafetite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Ca,Mg)₂Ti₄O₉·4H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 3-4
- Density
- 2.8-3.0 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Needles, Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Alkaline Igneous Massifs and Volcanic Ejecta
- Typical price
- $50-300 per micro-mount or small specimen
Where rockhounds find cafetite
Classic worldwide localities
- Kovdor Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Bellerberg Volcano, Eifel, Germany
Field-hunting tip
Look in alkaline igneous massifs and volcanic ejecta country — that is the host setting where cafetite typically forms. If you start seeing kovdorskite, magnetite, forsterite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, needles, aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find cafetite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
