Tausonite is a rare strontium titanate that typically forms sharp, cubic crystals in alkaline igneous environments. Collectors prize it for its high refractive index and crystalline perfection, often found within potassium-rich syenite complexes.
Is this tausonite?
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 tausonite with a known reference. Tausonite sits at Mohs 6-6.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: brownish white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brown red, gray, dark red, red, reddish brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: cubic crystals, octahedral crystals.
Often confused with
Tausonite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Tausonite leaves brownish white, Perovskite leaves white to grayish white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Tausonite leaves brownish white, Loparite leaves brown; luster reads adamantine on Tausonite and metallic on Loparite.
Often found alongside tausonite
Minerals reported to co-occur with tausonite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SrTiO₃
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 4.88 g/cm³
- Streak
- Brownish white
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Cubic crystals, octahedral crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In aegirine-kalsilite rock in an alkalic massif (Murun massif, Russia); in a rheomorphic fenite dike in a carbonatite complex (Sarambi, Paraguay)
Where rockhounds find tausonite
Classic worldwide localities
- Murun massif, southwest of Olekminsk, Sakha, Russia
- Sarambi carbonatite complex, about 27 km northeast of Sarambi, Paraguay
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In aegirine-kalsilite rock in an alkalic massif (Murun massif, Russia); in a rheomorphic fenite dike in a carbonatite complex (Sarambi, Paraguay). If you start seeing aegirine, kalsilite, potassic feldspar in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: cubic crystals, octahedral crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify tausonite?+
Where is tausonite found?+
What rocks look like tausonite?+
What minerals are found with tausonite?+
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What is tausonite used for?+
Find tausonite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
