Unakite Identification Guide
A field guide to recognizing unakite, the mottled pink-and-green altered granite, by its feldspar-epidote-quartz mix and how to tell it from look-alikes.
Read the full Unakite encyclopedia entry →
What Unakite Looks Like
Unakite is an altered granite (a metamorphosed/hydrothermally altered granitoid) with an unmistakable mottled appearance: salmon-pink to brick-red pink orthoclase feldspar, pistachio-to-olive green epidote, and clear-to-gray quartz. The result is a speckled, patchy pink-and-green rock with a granular, interlocking texture. Luster is dull to vitreous; it is opaque and takes a good polish, which is why it is popular for cabochons, beads, and carvings.
Step-by-Step Field-ID Checklist
- Look for the pink-and-green combo. Patchy salmon-pink and pistachio-green is the signature - no other common rock matches it so cleanly.
- Identify the minerals. Pink = feldspar, green = epidote, glassy gray = quartz.
- Check texture. Coarse, granular, interlocking crystals (igneous/granitic fabric).
- Hardness test. Overall ~6-7; quartz patches scratch glass, feldspar shows cleavage facets.
- Look for feldspar cleavage (flat reflective faces) and the absence of any layering or banding.
- Confirm opacity and a good polish-taking surface.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: ~6-7 overall (feldspar 6, epidote 6-7, quartz 7).
- Streak: White to pale (mixed rock).
- Cleavage/fracture: Feldspar shows cleavage; quartz fractures conchoidally; no rock-wide cleavage.
- Magnetism: None.
- Acid: No reaction.
- Density: ~2.85-3.0 g/cm3, slightly heavier than ordinary granite due to epidote.
Common Look-Alikes
- Ordinary granite: Has pink feldspar and quartz but the green is usually absent or is black mica/hornblende, not pistachio epidote.
- Ruby in zoisite (anyolite): Green-and-pink too, but the pink is ruby crystals and the green is zoisite, with black hornblende; ruby is much harder (Mohs 9).
- Epidote rock (epidosite): Mostly green with little pink feldspar.
- Rhodonite/rhodochrosite: Pink with black veining, no green epidote and no granitic texture.
- Green-and-pink dyed howlite or jaspers: Lack the coarse interlocking crystalline granite fabric.
The coarse granitic texture plus the specific pink-feldspar/green-epidote pairing is conclusive.
Where It Is Found
Unakite is named for the Unaka Range of the Appalachian Mountains (North Carolina/Tennessee, USA), its type locality. It also occurs in Virginia (where it is the state rock), the shores of Lake Superior, South Africa, Brazil, China, and Sierra Leone, often as river cobbles and glacial float.
Frequently asked questions
What does unakite look like?
A mottled, speckled rock of salmon-pink feldspar and pistachio-green epidote with gray quartz, in a coarse granular granite-like texture.
How can you tell if it's real unakite?
Confirm the coarse granitic texture with pink feldspar (showing cleavage), pistachio-green epidote, and gray quartz, an overall hardness of 6-7, and no acid reaction.
What is unakite made of?
It is an altered granite composed mainly of pink orthoclase feldspar, green epidote, and quartz.
Unakite vs ruby in zoisite: how do they differ?
Both are green and pink, but ruby in zoisite has hard ruby crystals (Mohs 9) and zoisite, while unakite's pink is soft feldspar and its green is epidote in a granitic texture.
Unakite identified by the community
Recent Unakite specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
