Halite is the naturally occurring form of common table salt and is easily identified by its distinct salty taste and cubic cleavage. It typically forms in evaporite environments where ancient seas or lakes have dried up, often appearing as clear, white, or tinted cubic crystals. Collectors should store halite in a dry environment as it is highly hygroscopic and will dissolve or degrade in humid conditions.
Is this halite?
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 halite with a known reference. Halite sits at Mohs 2.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Halite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Halite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white, blue, red, orange, yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: cubic crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Halite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside halite
Minerals reported to co-occur with halite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NaCl
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 2.16 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Cubic Crystals, Massive, Granular
- Cleavage
- Perfect Cubic
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Industrial, Collector, Culinary
- Host rock
- Evaporite Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-30 for good specimens
Where rockhounds find halite
18 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Poland
- Germany
- United States
- Austria
- Pakistan
U.S. states with halite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce halite.
Field-hunting tip
Look in evaporite deposits country — that is the host setting where halite typically forms. If you start seeing gypsum, anhydrite, sylvite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a cubic crystals, massive, granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, Nevada, California — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify halite?+
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Find halite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
