Pink Calcite is a beautiful carbonate mineral typically colored by trace amounts of manganese or cobalt. It is highly valued by collectors for its soft, pastel hue and its characteristic bright pink fluorescence under short-wave UV light. It is commonly found as massive aggregates or rhombohedral crystals in hydrothermal veins and sedimentary deposits.
Is this pink calcite?
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 pink calcite with a known reference. Pink Calcite sits at Mohs 3 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Pink Calcite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Pink Calcite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, pale pink, rose.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: rhombohedral crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Pink Calcite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside pink calcite
Minerals reported to co-occur with pink calcite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaCO₃
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 2.71 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Rhombohedral Crystals, Massive, Granular
- Cleavage
- Perfect Rhombohedral
- Fluorescence
- Often Bright Pink Under UV Light
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins, Sedimentary Limestone Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-30 thumbnail, $50-200 display specimen
Where rockhounds find pink calcite
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- Peru
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins, sedimentary limestone deposits country — that is the host setting where pink calcite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, dolomite, fluorite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a rhombohedral crystals, massive, granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maryland, West Virginia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find pink calcite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
