The mineral has a granular habit or occurs as prismatic to anhedral crystals up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in).

[2] Sonolite is the manganese analogue of clinohumite,[5] a dimorph of jerrygibbsite,[2] and a member of the humite group.

Sonolite has been found in association with calcite, chlorite, franklinite, galaxite, manganosite, pyrochroite, rhodochrosite, tephroite, willemite, and zincite.

He discovered a dull, red-brown mineral on the first level ore body of the Sono Mine, and later from a number of other sites.

[4][5] As of 2012[update], sonolite has been found in Austria, France, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States.