← The Atlas

Entry № 300

Okenite

Hydrous calcium silicate

Cotton-soft blooms in a lava cavity.

Chakra

Crown · Heart

Element

Air · Water

Zodiac

Sagittarius · Virgo

Okenite

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Okenite is held as a stone of new beginnings, self-forgiveness and quiet emotional healing. Its downy fiber balls are read as a symbol of softness — a stone for those learning to be gentler with themselves.

Chakra
Crown · Heart
Element
Air · Water
Zodiac
Sagittarius · Virgo
Keynote
Cotton-soft blooms in a lava cavity.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Okenite is a hydrous calcium silicate that forms as fine white fibrous crystals, usually arranged in tightly packed spherical clusters resembling cotton balls. It grows in the vesicles of basaltic lavas, most famously in the Deccan Traps of India.

Formula
CaSi₂O₅·2H₂O
System
Triclinic
Hardness
4.5 – 5 (Mohs)
Provenance
India (Deccan Traps), Iceland, Ireland

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula
CaSi₂O₅·2H₂O
Crystal System
Triclinic
Mohs Hardness
4.5 – 5 (Mohs)
Density
2.28 – 2.33 g/cm³
Refractive Index
1.530 – 1.570
Provenance
India (Deccan Traps), Iceland, Ireland
Color Origin
White to pale cream, silky lustre

Related Crystals

Stones that share this lattice

Explore the full Atlas →

Next in the Atlas

Optical Calcite

The stone that shows two worlds at once.