How do I identify Stellerite?

Stellerite can be identified by its hardness of 4.5 on the Mohs scale, Colourless to white color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Stellerite?

Stellerite typically appears in Colourless to white, pink, orange. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Stellerite?

Stellerite has a hardness of 4.5 on the Mohs scale. This gives it moderate hardness.

Stellerite

A variety of Minerals

What is Stellerite?

Stellerite is a rare mineral discovered by and named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer and zoologist. The mineral has a general formula of Ca[Al2Si7O18]·7H2O. Like most rare minerals, there are few commercial uses for stellerite. Mineral collectors are lucky to find it in good enough crystal form. Zeolites, including stellerite, have been studied using a dehydration process to gauge the potential use of their phases as molecular sieves, sorbents, and catalysts.

Stellerite Market Value Calculator

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

Stellerite Localities Map

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

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Stellerite

Stellerite is an anisotropic mineral, meaning that it has different properties in different directions-such as indices of refraction-when light passes through it. A refractive index (n) measures the speed of light in a substance—or in the case of mineralogy—in a mineral. It is expressed as a ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in a mineral. Stellerite has three indices of refraction because it is a biaxial mineral.

Formation of Stellerite

Stellerite lines cavities and fracture surfaces in volcanic rocks altered by hydrothermal solutions. Great examples of Stellerite are on Copper Island, Commander Islands (also discovered by Georg Steller), Bering Sea and at Klichka, Chita region, Siberia, Russia. In the United States, it is located at Ritter Hot Springs, Grant County, Oregon; on Hook Mountain, Rockland County, New York; and at Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey. Large crystals have been found in Australia around Gunnedah, New South Wales, and at Harcourt, Dookie, and Corop, Victoria.