Sabinaite is an extremely rare carbonate mineral found primarily in alkaline intrusive complexes. It typically presents as delicate, white to colorless platy crystals and is highly sought after by advanced mineral collectors for its unique structural chemistry.
Is this sabinaite?
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 sabinaite with a known reference. Sabinaite sits at Mohs 3.5, 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, silky in aggregates.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, colorless, light yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: powdery.
Often confused with
Sabinaite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside sabinaite
Minerals reported to co-occur with sabinaite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na₄TiZr₂O₄(CO₃)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Density
- 3.36 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous, silky in aggregates
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Powdery
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {001}; distinct on {100}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A rare mineral in vugs in a silicocarbonatite sill (Francon quarry, Canada); in cavities in sodalite syenite associated with an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada)
Where rockhounds find sabinaite
Classic worldwide localities
- Francon quarry, Montreal Island, Montreal, and at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A rare mineral in vugs in a silicocarbonatite sill (Francon quarry, Canada); in cavities in sodalite syenite associated with an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada). If you start seeing calcite, dawsonite, weloganite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: powdery. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify sabinaite?+
Where is sabinaite found?+
What rocks look like sabinaite?+
What minerals are found with sabinaite?+
What kind of rock does sabinaite form in?+
What is sabinaite used for?+
Find sabinaite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
