Clinochlore is a member of the chlorite group, commonly found in metamorphic rocks as green, platy, or micaceous aggregates. Collectors often prize the chromium-rich violet variety known as Kammererite. Its perfect cleavage and pearly luster on cleavage faces make it distinct from other mica-group minerals.
Is this clinochlore?
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 clinochlore with a known reference. Clinochlore sits at Mohs 2-2.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Clinochlore leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Clinochlore typically shows a pearly luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, dark green, yellowish green, white, pink, violet.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: tabular crystals, micaceous masses, platy aggregates.
Often confused with
Clinochlore vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside clinochlore
Minerals reported to co-occur with clinochlore. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Mg,Fe²⁺)₅Al(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₈
- Mohs hardness
- 2-2.5
- Density
- 2.6-2.9 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular Crystals, Micaceous Masses, Platy Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect Basal
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific Research
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks Like Schists and Serpentinites
- Typical price
- $10-150 depending on specimen quality and locality
Where rockhounds find clinochlore
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- Erzgebirge, Germany
- Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Brumado, Brazil
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks like schists and serpentinites country — that is the host setting where clinochlore typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, calcite, dolomite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a tabular crystals, micaceous masses, platy aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maine, New York — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify clinochlore?+
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How much is clinochlore worth?+
What rocks look like clinochlore?+
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Find clinochlore on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
