Nybøite is a rare sodium-rich amphibole mineral primarily found in alkaline igneous environments. Collectors identify it by its distinct blue to violet-blue color and its association with other alkali-rich silicate minerals in complex pegmatitic or metamorphic settings.
Is this nybøite?
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 nybøite with a known reference. Nybøite 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: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, gray green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: inclusions.
Often confused with
Nybøite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nybøite leaves white, Glaucophane leaves blue-gray.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nybøite leaves white, Riebeckite leaves greenish brown.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nybøite leaves white, Arfvedsonite leaves deep bluish gray, gray-green.
Often found alongside nybøite
Minerals reported to co-occur with nybøite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NaNa₂(Mg₃Al₂)Si₇AlO₂₂(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 3.12 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Inclusions
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {110}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In a compositionally-layered eclogite that has undergone high-pressure amphibolite facies metamorphism (Nordfjord, Norway)
Where rockhounds find nybøite
Classic worldwide localities
- Nybö eclogite pod, Nordfjord, Norway
- Dora-Maira massif, Parigi, near Martiniana Po, Piedmont, Italy
- Lanshantou, Jianchang, Jiangsu Province, China
- Tawmaw, Myitkyina-Mogaung district, Kachin State, northern Myanmar (Burma)
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a compositionally-layered eclogite that has undergone high-pressure amphibolite facies metamorphism (Nordfjord, Norway). If you start seeing taramite, omphacite, jadeitic clinopyroxene in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: inclusions. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify nybøite?+
Where is nybøite found?+
What rocks look like nybøite?+
What minerals are found with nybøite?+
What kind of rock does nybøite form in?+
What is nybøite used for?+
Find nybøite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
