Celestite is highly sought by collectors for its stunning, sky-blue tabular crystals often found in geodes. It is relatively soft and brittle, requiring careful handling to prevent damage to its perfect cleavage surfaces.
Is this celestite?
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 celestite with a known reference. Celestite sits at Mohs 3-3.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Celestite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Celestite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white, pale blue, blue, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: tabular crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Celestite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside celestite
Minerals reported to co-occur with celestite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SrSO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 3-3.5
- Density
- 3.9-4.0 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular Crystals, Massive, Granular
- Cleavage
- Perfect On {001}, Good On {210}
- Fluorescence
- Occasionally Faint Blue or White Under UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Industrial Source of Strontium
- Host rock
- Sedimentary Rocks, Limestone Cavities, Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $10-100 for small clusters, $200+ for large, high-quality display specimens.
Where rockhounds find celestite
34 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Madagascar
- Lake Erie, Ohio, USA
- Sicily, Italy
- San Bernardino County, California, USA
- Tunisia
U.S. states with celestite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce celestite.
Field-hunting tip
Look in sedimentary rocks, limestone cavities, hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where celestite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, sulfur, gypsum in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a tabular crystals, massive, granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify celestite?+
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Find celestite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
