Mohs 5-5.5
Vickers (~) 540 HV
Knoop (~) 620 HK
Geological setting
Skarn
Element composition by mass
Formula: CaBSiO4(OH) · molar mass: 159.98 g/mol
| O | 50% | |
| Ca | 25.05% | |
| Si | 17.56% | |
| B | 6.76% | |
| H | 0.63% |
Computed from atomic weights (IUPAC 2021). Site-occupancy groups (Fe,Mn) split equally.
Mohs Hardness
5-5.5
Datolite sits at 5-5.5 on the Mohs scale — can be scratched by a steel knife.
Colors:
Streak
White
White
Crystal system
Monoclinic
Monoclinic
SilicatesSilicates – Sorosilicates
TL;DR · 1 min read
Datolite is a rare calcium boron silicate, distinguished by complex equant crystals and pale yellow-green hues. The Huanggang skarn deposit in Inner Mongolia is the modern type-locality for collector-grade datolite – sharp, gemmy, often with co-crystallized ilvaite or fluorite.
Datolite is a rare calcium boron silicate, distinguished by complex equant crystals and pale yellow-green hues. The Huanggang skarn deposit in Inner Mongolia is the modern type-locality for collector-grade datolite – sharp, gemmy, often with co-crystallized ilvaite or fluorite.
Notable Varieties
- Botryolite (botryoidal habit)
The Chinese Angle
The Huanggang iron-tin skarn deposit in Inner Mongolia produces some of the world's finest datolite – pale yellow gemmy crystals up to 10 cm, often perched on bladed black ilvaite. Combination specimens are a Huanggang trademark.
Cite this entry
APA
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. (2026). Datolite. My Mineral Box. Retrieved May 23, 2026, from https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/datolite/
MLA
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. "Datolite." My Mineral Box, 2026, https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/datolite/. Accessed May 23, 2026.
Chicago
MyMineralBox Editorial Team. "Datolite." My Mineral Box. Last modified May 4, 2026. https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/datolite/.
BibTeX
@misc{mmb_datolite,
author = {{MyMineralBox Editorial Team}},
title = {{Datolite}},
year = {2026},
publisher = {My Mineral Box},
url = {https://mymineralbox.com/mineral-encyclopedia/minerals/datolite/},
urldate = {2026-05-23}
}