Scheelite
Mineral CaWO4
About it
Heavy for a light-coloured mineral, and prospectors find it at night with a shortwave lamp. An important tungsten ore; fine gemmy crystals come from Xuebaoding in China.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Tungstate, scheelite group
- Formula
- CaWO4
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 4.5–5
- Specific gravity
- 5.9–6.1
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- adamantine (diamond-like), vitreous (glassy), greasy
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Colours
- colourless, white, yellow, orange, brown, grey, greenish
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- distinct pyramidal; subconchoidal fracture
- Under UV light
- bright blue-white under shortwave UV, yellower with molybdenum
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.