Chkalovite is a rare beryllium silicate mineral found primarily in unique alkaline igneous complexes. Collectors prize it for its intense and characteristic bright green fluorescence under shortwave ultraviolet light.
Is this chkalovite?
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 chkalovite with a known reference. Chkalovite sits at Mohs 6, 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.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: equant grains.
Often confused with
Chkalovite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside chkalovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with chkalovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na₂BeSi₂O₆
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 2.662 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Equant grains
- Cleavage
- Fair in one direction; indistinct in two other directions
- Fluorescence
- Bright green under SW UV
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Fluorescent mineral study
- Host rock
- In veins in pegmatite in a differentiated alkalic massif (Lovozero massif, Russia); in sodalite xenoliths in an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada)
Where rockhounds find chkalovite
Classic worldwide localities
- Two locations on Mt. Punkaruaiv, Lovozero massif, and in the Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In veins in pegmatite in a differentiated alkalic massif (Lovozero massif, Russia); in sodalite xenoliths in an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada). If you start seeing manganoan pectolite, microcline, sodalite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: equant grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify chkalovite?+
Where is chkalovite found?+
Is chkalovite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like chkalovite?+
What minerals are found with chkalovite?+
What kind of rock does chkalovite form in?+
What is chkalovite used for?+
Find chkalovite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
