How do I identify Nahcolite?

Nahcolite can be identified by its hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale, Colourless color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Nahcolite?

Nahcolite typically appears in Colourless, white, greyish; colourless in transmitted light.. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Nahcolite?

Nahcolite has a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a soft mineral that can be scratched easily.

How to Identify Nahcolite | Properties, Meaning & Uses

What is Nahcolite?

Nahcolite is a soft, colourless or white carbonate mineral with the composition of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) also called thermokalite. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system. Nahcolite was first described in 1928 for an occurrence in a lava tunnel at Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Its name refers to the elements which compose it: Na, H, C, and O. It occurs as a hot spring and saline lake precipitate or efflorescence; in differentiated alkalic massifs; in fluid inclusions as a daughter mineral phase and in evaporite deposits. It occurs in association with trona, thermonatrite, thenardite, halite, gaylussite, burkeite, northupite and borax. It has been reported in a Roman conduit at Stufe de Nerone, Campi Flegrei, near Naples; in the U. S. from Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California; in the Green River Formation, Colorado and Utah; in the Tincalayu deposit, Salar del Hombre Muerto, Salta Province, Argentina; on Mt. Alluaiv, Lovozero Massif and Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia; and around Mount Erebus, Victoria Land, Antarctica.

Nahcolite Market Value Calculator

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

Nahcolite Localities Map

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