Vesuvianite often forms striking, vertically striated prismatic crystals in skarn environments. It is highly valued by collectors for its wide range of colors and distinct tetragonal crystal structure, appearing commonly in green, brown, or yellow shades.
Is this vesuvianite?
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 vesuvianite with a known reference. Vesuvianite sits at Mohs 6-7, 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 to resinous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, brown, yellow, blue, red, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: columnar, granular, massive.
Often confused with
Vesuvianite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside vesuvianite
Minerals reported to co-occur with vesuvianite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Ca,Na)₁₉(Al,Mg,Fe)₁₃(SiO₄)₁₀(Si₂O₇)₄(OH,F,O)₁₀
- Mohs hardness
- 6-7
- Density
- 3.32-3.43 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous to resinous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Columnar, granular, massive
- Cleavage
- {110}, poor; {100} and {001}, very poor
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector, Ornamental
- Host rock
- In skarns formed during contact or regional metamorphism of limestones; in garnetized gabbros, mafic and ultramafic rocks, and serpentinites; uncommon in alkalic igneous rocks
Where rockhounds find vesuvianite
4 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Amity, Orange Co., and Olmsteadville, Essex Co., New York, USA
- Belvidere Mountain quarries, Lowell, Orleans Co., Vermont, USA
- Sanford, York Co., and Auburn, Androscoggin Co., Maine, USA
- Georgetown, El Dorado Co., and Crestmore, Riverside Co., California, USA
- Monte Somma and Vesuvius, Campania, Italy
- Ariccia, Lazio, Italy
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In skarns formed during contact or regional metamorphism of limestones; in garnetized gabbros, mafic and ultramafic rocks, and serpentinites; uncommon in alkalic igneous rocks. If you start seeing grossular, diopside, wollastonite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: columnar, granular, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in California, Montana, Utah. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify vesuvianite?+
Where is vesuvianite found?+
Can I find vesuvianite in the United States?+
What rocks look like vesuvianite?+
What minerals are found with vesuvianite?+
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Find vesuvianite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
