Leifite is a rare beryllium-bearing silicate mineral typically found in alkaline igneous environments. It is most recognized for its beautiful radiating sprays of acicular, prismatic crystals that are often perched on contrasting dark minerals like aegirine.
Is this leifite?
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 leifite with a known reference. Leifite sits at Mohs 6, 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: silky.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic, pseudo hexagonal.
Often confused with
Leifite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads silky on Leifite and vitreous to pearly on Natrolite.
How to tell apart: Luster reads silky on Leifite and vitreous to greasy; fibrous aggregates are dull to silky on Serandite.
How to tell apart: Leifite is noticeably harder (Mohs 6 vs. 4.5-5).
Often found alongside leifite
Minerals reported to co-occur with leifite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na₆(Si₁₆Al₂Be₂O₃₈)(F,OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 2.57 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Silky
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic, pseudo hexagonal
- Cleavage
- Distinct on {1010}
- Fluorescence
- White to light blue under SW UV
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In pegmatite (Narssârssuk, Greenland); in a differentiated alkalic massif (Lovozero massif, Russia); associated with an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada)
Where rockhounds find leifite
Classic worldwide localities
- Narssârssuk, Greenland
- Mt. Karnasurt, Lovozero massif, and in the Kukisvumchorr apatite deposit, Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Mont Saint-Hilaire and near Saint-Amable, Quebec, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In pegmatite (Narssârssuk, Greenland); in a differentiated alkalic massif (Lovozero massif, Russia); associated with an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada). If you start seeing microcline, aegirine, zinnwaldite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic, pseudo hexagonal. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify leifite?+
Where is leifite found?+
Is leifite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like leifite?+
What minerals are found with leifite?+
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What is leifite used for?+
Find leifite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
