How do I identify Childrenite?

Childrenite can be identified by its hardness of 5 on the Mohs scale, Yellowish brown color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Childrenite?

Childrenite typically appears in Yellowish brown, brown, clove-brown, colourless in transmitted light. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Childrenite?

Childrenite has a hardness of 5 on the Mohs scale. This gives it moderate hardness.

Childrenite

A variety of Minerals

What is Childrenite?

Childrenite is a rare hydrated phosphate mineral with elements iron, manganese, aluminium, phosphorus, oxygen and hydrogen. Its chemical formula is (Fe,Mn)AlPO4(OH)2•H2O and it has a molecular weight of 229.83 g/mol. Its specific gravity is 3.2 and it has a Mohs hardness of 4.5 to 5. It is usually translucent and non-fluorescent, with imperfect cleavage. It has a vitreous lustre with a white streak, and is brown or yellow in color. It has a conchoidal, uneven fracture, and an orthorhombic crystal system.

Optical Properties

Refractive Index: 1.639-1.672
Birefringence: 0.041-0.042
Pleochroism: Trichroic
Optical Character: Biaxial negative

Childrenite Market Value Calculator

Estimate the market value of Childrenite using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.

Childrenite Localities Map

See where Childrenite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

Map preview

North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Formation of Childrenite

Childrenite was discovered in 1823 by John George Children (1777–1852), who was a prominent English chemist and mineralogist. This secondary mineral was first found in the George and Charlotte Mine near Tavistock in Devon. Its formation is probably from the alteration of granitic phosphates like lithiophilite and triphylite. Childrenite is also found in some ore veins.