Lemoynite is a rare silicate mineral primarily known from alkaline pegmatites and intrusive complexes. Collectors should look for delicate, radiating sprays or acicular clusters of white-to-colorless crystals perched on matrix with minerals like aegirine or serandite.
Is this lemoynite?
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 lemoynite with a known reference. Lemoynite sits at Mohs 4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Lemoynite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Lemoynite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, colorless, yellowish-white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic to acicular crystals, often as fibrous aggregates or radial clusters.
Often confused with
Lemoynite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Eudialyte is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-6 vs. 4).
How to tell apart: Zircon is the harder of the two (Mohs 7.5 vs. 4); luster reads vitreous on Lemoynite and adamantine on Zircon.
How to tell apart: Analcite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-5.5 vs. 4).
Often found alongside lemoynite
Minerals reported to co-occur with lemoynite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Na,K)₂CaZr₂Si₁₀O₂₆·5-6H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 4
- Density
- 2.38 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic to Acicular Crystals, Often as Fibrous Aggregates or Radial Clusters
- Cleavage
- Perfect On {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Alkaline Igneous Rocks, Specifically in Pegmatites and Miarolitic Cavities
- Typical price
- $20-150 for thumbnail specimens
Where rockhounds find lemoynite
Classic worldwide localities
- Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
- Narssarssuk, Greenland
- Khibiny Massif, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Look in alkaline igneous rocks, specifically in pegmatites and miarolitic cavities country, the host setting where lemoynite typically forms. If you start seeing aegirine, microcline, nepheline in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic to acicular crystals, often as fibrous aggregates or radial clusters habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find lemoynite on the map
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