Carnallite is a soft, deliquescent halide mineral primarily found in marine evaporite deposits. It often appears as massive or granular aggregates that dissolve easily in water and should be stored in a dry environment to prevent degradation.
Is this carnallite?
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 carnallite with a known reference. Carnallite sits at Mohs 2.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Carnallite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Carnallite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, colorless, yellow, reddish.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: granular.
Often confused with
Carnallite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside carnallite
Minerals reported to co-occur with carnallite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- KMgCl₃·6H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 1.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Granular
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Industrial, Collector
- Host rock
- Evaporite Deposits
- Typical price
- $10-50 per specimen
Where rockhounds find carnallite
4 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Stassfurt, Germany
- Solikamsk, Russia
- Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
- Beresniki, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Look in evaporite deposits country, the host setting where carnallite typically forms. If you start seeing sylvite, halite, kieserite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, Nevada. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find carnallite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
