Verplanckite is an extremely rare barium manganese silicate mineral found primarily in alkaline pegmatites. It typically forms small, brownish, tabular crystals or radiating clusters that are sought after by advanced systematic mineral collectors.
Is this verplanckite?
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 verplanckite with a known reference. Verplanckite sits at Mohs 2.5-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pale orange.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brownish yellow, brownish orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: aggregates, prismatic, radial.
Often confused with
Verplanckite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Labuntsovite is the harder of the two (Mohs 6 vs. 2.5-3); streak differs, so Verplanckite leaves pale orange, Labuntsovite leaves white; luster reads vitreous on Verplanckite and greasy on Labuntsovite.
How to tell apart: Eudialyte is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-6 vs. 2.5-3); streak differs, so Verplanckite leaves pale orange, Eudialyte leaves white.
Often found alongside verplanckite
Minerals reported to co-occur with verplanckite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ba₄Mn₂Si₄O₁₂(OH,H₂O)₃Cl₃
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-3
- Density
- 3.52 g/cm³
- Streak
- Pale orange
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Aggregates, prismatic, radial
- Cleavage
- Good on {1120}; on {0001}, poor or a fracture
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In thin layers in a metamorphic sanbornite-quartz rock
Where rockhounds find verplanckite
Classic worldwide localities
- Esquire No. 7 mine, Big Creek, and on Rush Creek, Fresno Co., California, USA
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In thin layers in a metamorphic sanbornite-quartz rock. If you start seeing quartz, sanbornite, celsian in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: aggregates, prismatic, radial. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify verplanckite?+
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Find verplanckite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
