Wakabayashilite is a rare arsenic-antimony sulfide typically found as delicate, needle-like or fibrous sprays. It is highly sensitive to light and can degrade over time, making it a challenging and prized specimen for advanced collectors of arsenic minerals.
Is this wakabayashilite?
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 wakabayashilite with a known reference. Wakabayashilite sits at Mohs 1.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Wakabayashilite leaves a yellow streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Wakabayashilite typically shows a silky luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, orange-yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: acicular or fibrous radial aggregates.
Often confused with
Wakabayashilite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Wakabayashilite leaves yellow, Realgar leaves orange-red; luster reads silky on Wakabayashilite and resinous on Realgar.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Wakabayashilite leaves yellow, Pararealgar leaves orange-yellow; luster reads silky on Wakabayashilite and resinous on Pararealgar.
How to tell apart: Luster reads silky on Wakabayashilite and resinous on Orpiment.
Often found alongside wakabayashilite
Minerals reported to co-occur with wakabayashilite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (As,Sb)₁₁S₁₈
- Mohs hardness
- 1.5
- Density
- 4.24 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellow
- Luster
- Silky
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular or Fibrous Radial Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect in One Direction
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Arsenic-antimony Deposits
- Typical price
- $50-500 thumbnail
Where rockhounds find wakabayashilite
Classic worldwide localities
- Jinglongtou Mine, China
- White Caps Mine, Nevada, USA
- Jas-Roux, France
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal arsenic-antimony deposits country — that is the host setting where wakabayashilite typically forms. If you start seeing realgar, orpiment, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a acicular or fibrous radial aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find wakabayashilite on the map
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