How Common Is Sylvite?

Sylvite is colorless to white with shades of yellow and red due to inclusions. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and a specific gravity of 1.99. It has a refractive index of 1.4903. Sylvite has a salty taste with a distinct bitterness.

Where can you find sylvite?

Sylvite is one of the last evaporite minerals to precipitate out of solution. As such, it is only found in very dry saline areas. Its principle use is as a potassium fertilizer. Massive bedded deposits occur in New Mexico and western Texas, and in Utah in the US, but the largest world source is in Saskatchewan, Canada.

How is sylvite mined?

The deep-seated rock salts of halite (sodium chloride) and sylvite or sylvine (potassium chloride), low-grade copper, gold, lithium, and uranium deposits can be mined by introducing fresh water using a powerful pump with a large diameter double tube pipe into the orebody.