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. Ruizite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Ruizite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, red-orange, brownish-orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: bladed crystals, radial sprays, spherical aggregates.
Often confused with
Ruizite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
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
- Ca₂Mn³⁺(Si₄O₁₁)O(OH)·2H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Density
- 2.88 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Bladed Crystals, Radial Sprays, Spherical Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect On {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Metasomatized Limestone
- Typical price
- $20-200 thumbnail
Where rockhounds find ruizite
Classic worldwide localities
- Christmas Mine, Arizona, USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in metasomatized limestone country — that is the host setting where ruizite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, apophyllite, ganophyllite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a bladed crystals, radial sprays, spherical aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find ruizite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
