Garnet Schist is a metamorphic rock characterized by its distinct foliation and embedded porphyroblasts of garnet. Collectors prize specimens that display large, well-formed garnet crystals sitting prominently within a glittering, micaceous matrix.
Is this garnet schist?
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 garnet schist with a known reference. Garnet Schist sits at Mohs 3-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Read the textureLook at a fresh break with a hand lens. Texture: Schistose. Grain size: Medium-grained (grains 0.25 to 2 mm).
- 3Pick out the mineralsComposition: Platy minerals such as mica with quartz or feldspar, plus garnet. Identify the two or three most abundant grains.
- 4Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: pearly.
- 5Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: gray, brown, silver, dark red.
Often found alongside garnet schist
Minerals reported to co-occur with garnet schist. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3-7
- Density
- 2.7-3.2 g/cm³
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Educational
- Host rock
- regional metamorphic belts
- Texture
- Schistose
- Grain size
- Medium-grained (grains 0.25 to 2 mm)
- Composition
- Platy minerals such as mica with quartz or feldspar, plus garnet
Where rockhounds find garnet schist
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Vermont, USA
- Scotland
- Norway
- Austria
- Switzerland
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: regional metamorphic belts. If you start seeing almandine, muscovite, biotite in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Michigan. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify garnet schist?+
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Find garnet schist on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
