Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126871366" class="extiw" title="d:Q126871366"><span title="photographer from the United States">Nessa Eull</span></a></bdi> (CC0)

cubiccommonMetamorphic rock (composed of silicate minerals)

Unakite

Complex silicate rock, primarily Ca2(Al,Fe)3(SiO4)3(OH), KAlSi3O8, SiO2

Unakite is a distinctive metamorphic rock characterized by its mottled appearance, featuring light green epidote, orange-pink K-feldspar, and white patches of quartz. The sample shown is 9 cm across.

Unakite Physical Properties

Mohs Hardness

Crystal System

cubic

Luster

vitreous

Streak Color

White

Cleavage

Varies by constituent minerals (good in K-feldspar and epidote, none in quartz)

Fracture

Conchoidal to uneven

Specific Gravity

2.8

Colors

light green, orange-pink, white

Transparency

Translucent to opaque

Type Locality

Unaka Range, Tennessee-North Carolina border, USA (type locality)

Mineral Group

Metamorphic rock (composed of silicate minerals)

Uses

jewelry (cabochons, beads), ornamental stone, collector's item

Associated Minerals

epidote, K-feldspar, quartz, minor accessory minerals

Rarity

common

Geological Context

Unakite forms from the regional metamorphism of granitic rocks, where plagioclase feldspar is altered to epidote. It is typically found in epidote-rich granite or granodiorite.

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Related Specimens

Afghanite

Prehnite

Wulfenite

Gmelinite

Pyrite

Afghanite