Wernerite is a common member of the scapolite group, often identified by its characteristic blocky, prismatic crystals with a splintery appearance. Collectors prize it for its strong, often vibrant yellow or orange fluorescence under long-wave and short-wave UV light. It is frequently found in high-grade metamorphic terrains associated with calcium-rich rocks.
Is this wernerite?
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 wernerite with a known reference. Wernerite sits at Mohs 5.5-6, 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.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, gray, yellow, green, pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Wernerite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside wernerite
Minerals reported to co-occur with wernerite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Na,Ca)₄(Al,Si)₁₂(O,Cl,CO₃,SO₄)₂₄
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 2.6-2.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic crystals, massive, granular
- Cleavage
- Distinct prismatic
- Fluorescence
- Often fluorescent yellow or orange under UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- metamorphic rocks like skarns, marbles, and gneisses
Where rockhounds find wernerite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Quebec, Canada
- Ontario, Canada
- Franklin, New Jersey, USA
- Mogok, Myanmar
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: metamorphic rocks like skarns, marbles, and gneisses. If you start seeing diopside, garnet, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, massive, granular. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New York. Start trip planning there.
More wernerite photos
Common questions
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Find wernerite on the map
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