Holdawayite is a very rare manganese carbonate hydroxide mineral typically found in the famous zinc mines of Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey. It generally occurs as delicate, pale pink platy crystals or granular masses embedded within larger manganese-zinc mineral assemblages. Collectors prize it for its unique chemistry and extreme scarcity in the global mineral market.
Is this holdawayite?
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 holdawayite with a known reference. Holdawayite sits at Mohs ~3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pale pink.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous, silky in fibrous aggregates.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, light pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: platy crystals, granular aggregates.
Often confused with
Holdawayite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside holdawayite
Minerals reported to co-occur with holdawayite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mn₆(CO₃)₂(OH,Cl)₈
- Mohs hardness
- ~3
- Density
- 3.19 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Pale pink
- Luster
- Vitreous, silky in fibrous aggregates
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Platy crystals, granular aggregates
- Cleavage
- On {100}, perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Locally abundant as a rare vein mineral in low-grade metamorphosed Mn-rich sedimentary rocks intercalated with sedimentary iron deposits
Where rockhounds find holdawayite
Classic worldwide localities
- Kombat Cu–Pb–Ag mine, 49 km south of Tsumeb, Namibia
- Rǎzore, Preluca Mountains, Romania
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Locally abundant as a rare vein mineral in low-grade metamorphosed Mn-rich sedimentary rocks intercalated with sedimentary iron deposits. If you start seeing kutnohorite, ribbeite, alleghanyite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: platy crystals, granular aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify holdawayite?+
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Find holdawayite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
