Toturite is a rare tin-bearing garnet species characterized by its dark, often opaque to translucent appearance. It is typically found in skarn deposits, forming small, well-defined dodecahedral crystals associated with iron-rich minerals.

Hardness

6-7

Mohs

Streak

White with a cream tint

Transparency

Translucent

mineralrareGarnet Group family

Toturite

Hardness: 6-7
Streak: White with a cream tint
Transparency: Translucent

No image

Is this toturite?

4-step field check

Run through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.

1
Test the hardness
Try to scratch toturite with a known reference. Toturite sits at Mohs 6-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
2
Check the streak
Drag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white with a cream tint.
3
Match the color range
Compare against the expected color range: yellow.
4
Look at form & habit
Crystal system: cubic. Typical habit: dodecahedral crystals.

Often confused with

Toturite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.

How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Toturite leaves white with a cream tint, Schorlomite leaves grayish black to red-orange or orange-brown.

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Often found alongside toturite

Minerals reported to co-occur with toturite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.

All properties

Chemical formula: Ca₃Sn₂Fe₂SiO₁₂
Mohs hardness: 6-7
Density: 4.49 g/cm³
Colors: Yellow
Streak: White with a cream tint
Transparency: Translucent
Crystal system: Cubic
Crystal habit: Dodecahedral crystals
Rarity: Rare
Uses: Collector
Host rock: An accessory mineral in high-temperature skarn at the contact between altered carbonate-silicate xenoliths and ignimbrite

Where rockhounds find toturite

Classic worldwide localities

Sakha Republic, Russia

Field-hunting tip

Where it forms: An accessory mineral in high-temperature skarn at the contact between altered carbonate-silicate xenoliths and ignimbrite. If you start seeing larnite, rondorfite, wadalite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: dodecahedral crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.

Common questions

How do you identify toturite?+

Mohs hardness is 6-7. The streak is white with a cream tint. Common colors include yellow.

Where is toturite found?+

Notable localities include Sakha Republic, Russia.

What rocks look like toturite?+

Toturite is most often confused with Andradite, Schorlomite. A quick hardness test and a streak check separate the look-alikes faster than color alone.

What minerals are found with toturite?+

Toturite commonly co-occurs with Larnite, Rondorfite, Wadalite, Magnesioferrite, Lakargiite, Cuspidine. Spotting any of these in float or country rock is a useful trip signal.

What kind of rock does toturite form in?+

Where it forms: An accessory mineral in high-temperature skarn at the contact between altered carbonate-silicate xenoliths and ignimbrite. Working float back to the host body is the standard way to chase a fresh occurrence.

What is toturite used for?+

Toturite is used in collector.

Find toturite on the map

RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.