Huntite is a soft, chalky carbonate mineral that often occurs as fine-grained, snow-white earthy masses. It is frequently found in sedimentary lake deposits or as a secondary mineral in caves and is highly prized by collectors for its striking white color and intense fluorescence under ultraviolet light.
Is this huntite?
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 huntite with a known reference. Huntite sits at Mohs 1-2, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Huntite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Huntite typically shows a dull luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, off-white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive, chalk-like, powdery aggregates.
Often confused with
Huntite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Magnesite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5-4.5 vs. 1-2); luster reads dull on Huntite and vitreous on Magnesite.
How to tell apart: Dolomite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5-4 vs. 1-2); luster reads dull on Huntite and vitreous on Dolomite.
How to tell apart: Calcite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3 vs. 1-2); luster reads dull on Huntite and vitreous on Calcite.
Often found alongside huntite
Minerals reported to co-occur with huntite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mg₃Ca(CO₃)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 1-2
- Density
- 2.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Dull
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Chalk-like, Powdery Aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Fluorescence
- Bright White or Yellow Under SW UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Industrial, Collector
- Host rock
- Sedimentary Environments, Specifically Lake Beds and Secondary Cave Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-30 for small specimens
Where rockhounds find huntite
Classic worldwide localities
- Nevada, USA
- Queensland, Australia
- Greece
- Turkey
- France
Field-hunting tip
Look in sedimentary environments, specifically lake beds and secondary cave deposits country, the host setting where huntite typically forms. If you start seeing magnesite, dolomite, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, chalk-like, powdery aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find huntite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
