Green Apatite is a popular collector mineral prized for its sharp, hexagonal prismatic crystal habits and vibrant color range. It is easily recognized by its Mohs hardness of 5 and can frequently be found in pegmatite pockets or hydrothermal veins alongside minerals like quartz and mica.
Is this green apatite?
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 green apatite with a known reference. Green Apatite sits at Mohs 5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Green Apatite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Apatite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow-green, blue-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, tabular, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Green Apatite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside green apatite
Minerals reported to co-occur with green apatite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₅(PO₄)₃(F,Cl,OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Density
- 3.1-3.2 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Tabular, Massive, Granular
- Cleavage
- Poor in One Direction
- Fluorescence
- Often Fluorescent Yellow or Green Under SW UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Mineral Specimen
- Host rock
- Igneous Rocks, Pegmatites, Metamorphic Rocks
- Typical price
- $10-100 per specimen
Where rockhounds find green apatite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Durango, Mexico
- Ontario, Canada
- Madagascar
- Brazil
- Russia
Field-hunting tip
Look in igneous rocks, pegmatites, metamorphic rocks country — that is the host setting where green apatite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, feldspar, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, tabular, massive, granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Virginia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find green apatite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
