Datolite—Dividing Lines

Mineral collectors love datolite. The name comes from the Greek word dateishtai, which means “to divide.” Datolite is a fairly fragile rock; the name is no doubt a reference to the fact that datolite crumbles very easily due to its composition of calcium boron silicate hydroxide. It occurs in green, yellow, or brown, and very rarely in orange, red, or gray. It was first discovered in the United States in 1806 in the Connecticut River valley but has since been found in Russia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Africa, and Michigan. Datolite has a group of sister stones, including bakerite, hingganite, and gadolinite, that can sometimes be found in sheet form. Datolite is most commonly found as a large nodule and in extremely infrequent cases is a faceted crystal. Pink datolite has the sweet name “sugar stone.”