Green Elbaite is the most common colored variety of the tourmaline group, highly prized for its vibrant spectrum from light mint to deep forest green. Collectors look for well-terminated, striated prismatic crystals often found in pockets within granitic pegmatites. It is easily identified by its distinctive vertically striated crystal faces and lack of cleavage.
Is this green elbaite tourmaline?
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 elbaite tourmaline with a known reference. Green Elbaite Tourmaline sits at Mohs 7-7.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Green Elbaite Tourmaline leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Elbaite Tourmaline typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow-green, blue-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-section.
Often confused with
Green Elbaite Tourmaline vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside green elbaite tourmaline
Minerals reported to co-occur with green elbaite tourmaline. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na(Li,Al,Fe,Mn)₃Al₆(BO₃)₃Si₆O₁₈(OH)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 3.0-3.2 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Rounded Triangular Cross-section
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Lapidary, Collector
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $20-500 per carat depending on saturation and clarity
Where rockhounds find green elbaite tourmaline
3 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- Afghanistan
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites country — that is the host setting where green elbaite tourmaline typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, albite, lepidolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-section habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maine — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify green elbaite tourmaline?+
Where is green elbaite tourmaline found?+
Can I find green elbaite tourmaline in the United States?+
How much is green elbaite tourmaline worth?+
What rocks look like green elbaite tourmaline?+
What minerals are found with green elbaite tourmaline?+
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Find green elbaite tourmaline on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
