Pabstite is a rare barium tin silicate belonging to the benitoite group. It is primarily found in small, white to colorless tabular crystals and is distinguished by its intense white fluorescence under shortwave ultraviolet light.
Is this pabstite?
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 pabstite with a known reference. Pabstite 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: white, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: anhedral grains.
Often confused with
Pabstite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside pabstite
Minerals reported to co-occur with pabstite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- BaSnSi₃O₉
- Mohs hardness
- ~6
- Density
- 4.03 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Anhedral grains
- Cleavage
- None
- Fluorescence
- Bright blue under SW UV
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- As fracture fillings and disseminated grains in recrystallized siliceous limestone which shows evidence of contact metamorphism
Where rockhounds find pabstite
Classic worldwide localities
- Kalkar quarry, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co., California, USA
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: As fracture fillings and disseminated grains in recrystallized siliceous limestone which shows evidence of contact metamorphism. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, tremolite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: anhedral grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify pabstite?+
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What rocks look like pabstite?+
What minerals are found with pabstite?+
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Find pabstite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
