Jusite is a rare calcium silicate mineral typically found in skarn deposits. It generally occurs as fibrous or acicular aggregates that appear white to colorless in hand samples.
Is this jusite?
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 jusite with a known reference. Jusite sits at Mohs 3-4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: fibrous aggregates.
Often confused with
Jusite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside jusite
Minerals reported to co-occur with jusite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na₂Ca₁₅Al₄Si₁₆O₅₄·17H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 3-4
- Density
- 2.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Fibrous aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- skarn
Where rockhounds find jusite
Classic worldwide localities
- Japan
- Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: skarn. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, apophyllite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: fibrous aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify jusite?+
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What rocks look like jusite?+
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Find jusite on the map
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