How can you identify Celestite?

Compare several properties rather than relying on colour alone. This entry records colour: Pale blue, white; lustre: Vitreous; streak: White; Mohs hardness: 3-3.5; cleavage: Perfect in two directions; crystal system: Orthorhombic; transparency: Transparent to translucent. Confirm an important identification with additional field tests or qualified laboratory work.

What is Celestite commonly confused with?

Celestite may be confused with Barite, Calcite, Fluorite. Compare multiple diagnostic properties because colour and surface appearance can overlap.

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Celestite identification and geology

Alternative name for celestine. Strontium sulfate forming delicate pale blue orthorhombic crystals in geodes. Color: Pale blue, white. Luster: Vitreous. Streak: White. Cleavage: Perfect in two directions. Hardness: 3-3.5. Transparency: Transparent to translucent. Crystal system: Orthorhombic. Chemical formula: SrSO₄. Specific gravity: 3.96. Formation: Precipitates from strontium-bearing brines in carbonate-hosted geodes. Common geological settings: Madagascar, Ohio USA , Mexico; famous geodes from Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Common look-alikes and related entries: Barite, Calcite, Fluorite.

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Previous: Celestine — Strontium sulfate, the principal ore of strontium. Often forms beautiful pale blue crystals in geodes.
Next: Cerussite — Lead carbonate forming in the oxidized zone of lead ore deposits. Known for its striking reticulate twinned crystal groups.
Barite
Calcite
Fluorite

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner: GeoMiner
Last updated: 2026-03-30T14:37:47.800712+00:00
Review status: Published; not independently peer-reviewed

IMA–CNMNC List of Mineral Names — International Mineralogical Association. Official mineral-name, nomenclature, and classification records.
Mineral ID Key — Mineralogical Society of America. Physical-property identification methods, repeat-testing guidance, and limitations.

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Common questions

What is Celestite?: Alternative name for celestine. Strontium sulfate forming delicate pale blue orthorhombic crystals in geodes.
How can you identify Celestite?: Compare several properties rather than relying on colour alone. This entry records colour: Pale blue, white; lustre: Vitreous; streak: White; Mohs hardness: 3-3.5; cleavage: Perfect in two directions; crystal system: Orthorhombic; transparency: Transparent to translucent. Confirm an important identification with additional field tests or qualified laboratory work.
How does Celestite form?: Precipitates from strontium-bearing brines in carbonate-hosted geodes.
Where is Celestite commonly found?: Madagascar, Ohio USA , Mexico; famous geodes from Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
What is Celestite commonly confused with?: Celestite may be confused with Barite, Calcite, Fluorite. Compare multiple diagnostic properties because colour and surface appearance can overlap.

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Celestite identification and geology

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Sources, scope & corrections

Common questions