Rocksday

Kaolinite

A white clay mineral formed when feldspar weathers. It's the main ingredient of porcelain.

Kaolinite specimen
Photo: James St. John https://www.flickr.com/people/jsjgeology?rb=1, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify kaolinite

  • White, chalky and powdery.
  • Smells earthy when breathed on and gets plastic when wet.
  • Doesn't fizz in acid.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Jingdezhen, China
  • Cornwall, England
  • Georgia, USA

Uses

Porcelain, paper coating, paint and cosmetics.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

Its name comes from Gaoling, a hill near China's porcelain capital Jingdezhen.

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