Rocksday

Spodumene

A lithium silicate from granite pegmatites. Pink kunzite and green hiddenite are its gem forms; plain spodumene is a major lithium ore.

Spodumene specimen
Photo: Parent Géry, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify spodumene

  • Flattened, striated prisms, often lilac-pink.
  • Two cleavages at nearly 90° — splits easily.
  • Color looks deepest down the length of the crystal.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Greenbushes, Western Australia
  • Afghanistan
  • Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Black Hills, South Dakota

Uses

Lithium for batteries, and gemstones.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling. Splits easily along cleavage; kunzite also fades in sunlight.

Did you know?

The Etta mine in South Dakota produced spodumene crystals over 12 meters long.

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