Murmanite is a rare phyllosilicate mineral that typically forms as soft, platy or micaceous masses within alkaline pegmatites. Collectors often identify it by its distinct pearly luster and thin, flexible plates that resemble dark mica when weathered.
Is this murmanite?
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 murmanite with a known reference. Murmanite sits at Mohs 2-3 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Murmanite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Murmanite typically shows a pearly luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: violet, brown, pink, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: platy or micaceous aggregates.
Often confused with
Murmanite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Murmanite leaves white, Lomonosovite leaves yellowish brown; luster reads pearly on Murmanite and vitreous on Lomonosovite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Murmanite leaves white, Astrophyllite leaves golden-brown; luster reads pearly on Murmanite and submetallic on Astrophyllite.
Often found alongside murmanite
Minerals reported to co-occur with murmanite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na₂MnTi₂Si₂O₁₀·2H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2-3
- Density
- 2.8-2.9 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Platy or Micaceous Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect Basal
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific Research
- Host rock
- Nepheline Syenite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $20-150 per specimen depending on size and quality
Where rockhounds find murmanite
Classic worldwide localities
- Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada
- Narsarsuk, Greenland
Field-hunting tip
Look in nepheline syenite pegmatites country — that is the host setting where murmanite typically forms. If you start seeing nepheline, aegirine, eudialyte in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a platy or micaceous aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find murmanite on the map
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