Taramite is a rare member of the calcic-sodic amphibole group that typically occurs in metamorphic environments. It is most easily identified by its dark, prismatic crystals, though it is visually indistinguishable from other dark amphiboles without professional chemical analysis.
Is this taramite?
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 taramite with a known reference. Taramite sits at Mohs 5-6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: greenish gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black, blue green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, massive, fibrous.
Often confused with
Taramite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Taramite leaves greenish gray, Hornblende leaves grayish-white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Taramite leaves greenish gray, Arfvedsonite leaves deep bluish gray, gray-green.
Often found alongside taramite
Minerals reported to co-occur with taramite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na(NaCa)(Mg₃Al₂)(Si₆Al₂)O₂₂(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 5-6
- Density
- 3.231-3.476 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Greenish gray
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic crystals, massive, fibrous
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {110}, intersecting at ~56° and ~124°; partings on {100}, {001}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- In sodium-metasomatized alkalic gneisses and nepheline syenite dikes; in eclogite metamorphosed to the amphibolite facies
Where rockhounds find taramite
Classic worldwide localities
- Vali-Tarama Valley, near Mariupol (Zhdanov), Ukraine
- Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia
- Lanshantou, Jianchang, Jiangsu Province, China
- Mbozi syenite gabbro complex, 80 km southwest of Mbeya, Tanzania
- Darkainle complex, Borama district, northwest Hargeisa, Somali Republic
- York River area, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In sodium-metasomatized alkalic gneisses and nepheline syenite dikes; in eclogite metamorphosed to the amphibolite facies. If you start seeing nepheline, aegirine, oligoclase in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, massive, fibrous. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify taramite?+
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What rocks look like taramite?+
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Find taramite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
