Ruizite is a rare manganese sorosilicate known primarily from the Christmas Mine in Arizona. It typically forms attractive orange to reddish-orange radial sprays or bladed aggregates on a matrix of calcite or related skarn minerals.
Is this ruizite?
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 ruizite with a known reference. Ruizite sits at Mohs ~5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pale apricot.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: euhedral crystals, prismatic, radial.
Often confused with
Ruizite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Ruizite leaves pale apricot, Apophyllite leaves white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Ruizite leaves pale apricot, Pectolite leaves white; luster reads vitreous on Ruizite and silky, subvitreous on Pectolite.
Often found alongside ruizite
Minerals reported to co-occur with ruizite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Mn₂Si₄O₁₁(OH)₄(H₂O)₂
- Mohs hardness
- ~5
- Density
- 2.9 g/cm³
- Streak
- Pale apricot
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Euhedral crystals, prismatic, radial
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In veinlets and on fracture surfaces in metalimestones, formed during cooling of a high-temperature calc-silicate assemblage under oxidizing conditions (Christmas, Arizona, USA)
Where rockhounds find ruizite
Classic worldwide localities
- Christmas copper mine, Christmas, Gila Co., Arizona, USA
- N'Chwaning and Wessels mines, near Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In veinlets and on fracture surfaces in metalimestones, formed during cooling of a high-temperature calc-silicate assemblage under oxidizing conditions (Christmas, Arizona, USA). If you start seeing apophyllite, kinoite, junitoite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: euhedral crystals, prismatic, radial. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find ruizite on the map
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