How do I identify Picromerite?

Picromerite 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 Picromerite?

Picromerite typically appears in Colourless, white, reddish, yellowish, grayish; colourless in transmitted light.. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Picromerite?

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

Picromerite

A variety of Minerals

What is Picromerite?

Picromerite (synonyms: schoenite, schönite) is a mineral from the class of hydrous sulfates lacking additional anions, and containing medium to large cations according to the Nickel–Strunz classification.

Picromerite Market Value Calculator

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

Picromerite Localities Map

See where Picromerite 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

Characteristics of Picromerite

Picromerite dehydrates in dry air, and crystals then show dull, spherical dehydration zones. Progressive dehydration leads to leonite.

Formation of Picromerite

Picromerite is found on comparatively few places, currently (2015) only about 40 localities are known. It was first identified in active volcanic fumaroles on Mount Vesuvius by Arcangelo Scacchi in 1855 and has also been found in volcanic deposits on Mount Etna and on Hawai'i. It is more commonly found in the kainite zones of some marine salt deposits, among them salt mines in Thuringia, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), near Hall in Tirol, Hallstatt and Bad Ischl (Austria), near Whitby (UK), and in the Carlsbad Potash District (New Mexico), also on salt lakes in western China. Picromerite can also form in sulfate-rich hydrothermal ore deposits and is found in slag heaps of some ore and coal mines. Picromerite is often accompanied by anhydrite, epsomite, halite, hohmannite, kainite, metasideronatrite und metavoltine, depending on the locality.

Quick Facts

Physical Properties

Color: Colourless, white, reddish, yellowish, grayish; colourless in transmitted light.
Hardness (Mohs): 2.5
Density: 2.039 g/cm³
Streak: White