Genthite is a nickel-bearing silicate often found as an earthy, apple-green encrustation or botryoidal mass within weathered nickel-rich rocks. Collectors prize its vibrant green color, though it is typically soft and fragile, making it primarily a cabinet display mineral.
Is this genthite?
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 genthite with a known reference. Genthite sits at Mohs 2-3, 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: dull.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellowish-green, apple-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: botryoidal, crusts, earthy masses.
Often confused with
Genthite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Chrysoprase is the harder of the two (Mohs 6.5-7 vs. 2-3); luster reads dull on Genthite and vitreous to waxy on Chrysoprase.
How to tell apart: Luster reads dull on Genthite and greasy on Serpentine.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Genthite leaves white, Malachite leaves pale green; luster reads dull on Genthite and adamantine to vitreous; silky if fibrous; dull to earthy if massive on Malachite.
Often found alongside genthite
Minerals reported to co-occur with genthite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Ni,Mg)₄Si₃O₁₀(OH)₄·nH₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2-3
- Density
- 2.4-2.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Dull
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Botryoidal, crusts, earthy masses
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Indicator mineral
- Host rock
- weathered ultrabasic rocks
Where rockhounds find genthite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- New Caledonia
- Oregon, USA
- Australia
- Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: weathered ultrabasic rocks. If you start seeing serpentine, quartz, nickel ores in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: botryoidal, crusts, earthy masses. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in North Carolina. Start trip planning there.
More genthite photos
Common questions
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Find genthite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
