Denisovite is a rare phyllosilicate mineral typically occurring as platy or lamellar aggregates in alkaline igneous complexes. It is most commonly found in the Khibiny Massif of Russia, where it forms in pegmatite veins associated with other rare silicate minerals.
Is this denisovite?
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 denisovite with a known reference. Denisovite sits at Mohs 4-5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: gray white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: pearly to silky.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: greenish gray, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: lamellar to platy crystals.
Often confused with
Denisovite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Denisovite leaves gray white, Pectolite leaves white; luster reads pearly to silky on Denisovite and silky, subvitreous on Pectolite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Denisovite leaves gray white, Wollastonite leaves white; luster reads pearly to silky on Denisovite and vitreous, pearly on cleavage on Wollastonite.
Often found alongside denisovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with denisovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- KCa₂Si₃O₈F
- Mohs hardness
- 4-5
- Density
- 2.76 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Gray white
- Luster
- Pearly to silky
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Lamellar to platy crystals
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In nepheline syenite in a differentiated alkalic massif (Khibiny massif, Russia)
Where rockhounds find denisovite
Classic worldwide localities
- Mts. Eveslogchorr and Yukspor, Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula, and in the Murun massif, southwest of Olekminsk, Yakutia, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In nepheline syenite in a differentiated alkalic massif (Khibiny massif, Russia). If you start seeing nepheline, potassic feldspar, aegirine in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: lamellar to platy crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find denisovite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
