Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
orthorhombicuncommonBorates
Boracite
Mg₃(B₇O₁₃)Cl
The image displays several small, well-formed, yellowish-white boracite crystals exhibiting a pseudo-cubic habit, clustered together on a matrix.
Boracite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
7Crystal System
orthorhombicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
poor/indistinct on {001}Fracture
conchoidal to unevenSpecific Gravity
2.9Colors
colorless, white, gray, yellow, green, blueTransparency
transparent to translucentType Locality
Alto Chapare District, Chapare Province, Cochabamba Department, BoliviaMineral Group
BoratesUses
collector, minor ore of boronAssociated Minerals
gypsum, anhydrite, halite, carnallite, magnesiteRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Boracite is typically found in evaporite deposits, forming in marine salt beds alongside other borate minerals, sulfates, and halides. It is a high-temperature polymorph that inverts to orthorhombic upon cooling.
