Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126871368" class="extiw" title="d:Q126871368"><span title="photographer from the United States">Darla Sondrol</span></a></bdi> (CC0)
cubicuncommonFeldspathoid group (Tectosilicates)
Sodalite
Na4Al3(SiO4)3Cl
This specimen displays a vibrant deep blue color, characteristic of sodalite, with some white veining or inclusions. It appears massive and opaque to translucent.
Sodalite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
5.5Crystal System
cubicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
poor/imperfect in 6 directions (dodecahedral)Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
2.25Colors
blue, white, gray, green, pinkTransparency
translucentType Locality
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada (Bancroft, Ontario), Greenland, NamibiaMineral Group
Feldspathoid group (Tectosilicates)Uses
jewelry, carvings, ornamental stoneAssociated Minerals
nepheline, cancrinite, albite, microcline, aegirine, augite, titanite, baryte, calciteRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Sodalite typically forms in silica-poor igneous rocks, such as nepheline syenites and phonolites, which are alkaline igneous rocks. It can also occur in contact metamorphic rocks.
