IMA mineral species
Bentorite
Ca₆Cr₂(SO₄)₃(OH)₁₂·26H₂O
Rare chromium-rich ettringite, or Cr-AFt.
Properties
⛏ Mohs hardness2
💅🪙🍶🔪💎
Scratches with a fingernail.
| Chemical formula | Ca₆Cr₂(SO₄)₃(OH)₁₂·26H₂O |
|---|---|
| Elements | Ca, Cr, S, O, H |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Mohs hardness | 2 |
| Density | — |
| Streak | — |
| Color | — |
| IMA symbol | Bto |
| Nickel–Strunz class | 7.DG.15 |
“—” means no reliable value in Wikidata yet. Check Mindat for full data.
Care & Handling
- 🪶 Soft, Scratches Easily Mohs 2: softer than a steel knife, so it scratches easily. Store it apart from harder stones.
🌍 Where it's found
Type locality (where it was first described): Hatrurim Basin, Israel
Learn more
- Bentorite on Mindat.org
- Wikipedia article
- Wikidata item Q2896152 (source of this page's data – you can correct it there)
IMA mineral species
2–3
Hexagonal
PurplePink
Soft, Scratches Easily