Wassonite is a rare titanium monosulfide mineral discovered within the Yamato 691 enstatite chondrite meteorite. It typically occurs as microscopic anhedral grains associated with other sulfides and silicates in extraterrestrial material.
Is this wassonite?
3-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch wassonite with a known reference. Wassonite sits at Mohs 3.5-4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: dark bronze, brown synthetic.
- 3Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: anhedral grains.
Often confused with
Wassonite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside wassonite
Minerals reported to co-occur with wassonite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- TiS
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5-4
- Density
- 4.452 g/cm³
- Colors
- Dark bronzeBrown synthetic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Anhedral grains
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- In a barred olivine (BO) chondrule, thought to have formed in the solar nebula by melting fine-grained precursor dust, in an enstatite chondrite meteorite
Where rockhounds find wassonite
Classic worldwide localities
- Yamato 691 meteorite
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a barred olivine (BO) chondrule, thought to have formed in the solar nebula by melting fine-grained precursor dust, in an enstatite chondrite meteorite. If you start seeing forsterite, enstatite, troilite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: anhedral grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify wassonite?+
Where is wassonite found?+
What rocks look like wassonite?+
What minerals are found with wassonite?+
What kind of rock does wassonite form in?+
What is wassonite used for?+
Find wassonite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
