Flinkite is a rare manganese arsenate mineral typically found as tabular crystals or radial clusters. It is almost exclusively found in the famous manganese mines of Långban, Sweden, where it occurs within metamorphic manganese-rich formations.
Is this flinkite?
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 flinkite with a known reference. Flinkite 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: light brown.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous, resinous to somewhat greasy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, greenish brown, dark greenish brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: tabular to prismatic crystals, often in radial or sheaflike aggregates.
Often confused with
Flinkite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside flinkite
Minerals reported to co-occur with flinkite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mn²⁺₂Mn³⁺(AsO₄)(OH)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5
- Density
- 3.87 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Light brown
- Luster
- Vitreous, resinous to somewhat greasy
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular to prismatic crystals, often in radial or sheaflike aggregates
- Cleavage
- Distinct on {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Very rare, in veinlets in magnetite ore (Harstigen mine, Sweden); in a metamorphosed stratiform zinc orebody (Franklin, New Jersey, USA)
Where rockhounds find flinkite
Classic worldwide localities
- Franklin, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA
- Harstigen mine, near Persberg, and at Långban, Värmland, Sweden
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Very rare, in veinlets in magnetite ore (Harstigen mine, Sweden); in a metamorphosed stratiform zinc orebody (Franklin, New Jersey, USA). If you start seeing sarkinite, brandtite, caryopilite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: tabular to prismatic crystals, often in radial or sheaflike aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify flinkite?+
Where is flinkite found?+
Is flinkite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like flinkite?+
What minerals are found with flinkite?+
What kind of rock does flinkite form in?+
What is flinkite used for?+
Find flinkite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
