Global InformationHokutolite information
| Hokutolite | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | |
| Category | Sulfate mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | (Ba,Pb)SO4 |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Identification | |
| Color | White, yellowish-brown |
| Mohs scale hardness | 3 - 3.5 |
| Luster | Greasy, vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 4.69 - 4.83 |
Hokutolite is the only mineral named after a Taiwanese place (Hokuto is the Japanese name for Beitou) among the more than 4,000 naturally occurring minerals in the world. Hokutolite is a rare mineral containing radioactive radium elements generated by the hot spring environment, and is currently found only in Beitou Hot Spring in Taipei City, and Tamagawa Hot Spring in Akita Prefecture, Japan. In Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has designated it as a "Special Natural Monument". In Taiwan, it is designated as a "Natural Cultural Landscape", and the Taipei City Government has designated a natural reserve in the Beitou River upstream of the Beitou Hot Spring Museum.[1]
- ^ 自由時報電子報 (2013-12-28). "保育北投石 劃設自然保留區 - 地方". 自由時報電子報 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-05-31.