How to identify Native Gold

To correctly identify Native Gold (Au), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Bright golden-yellow, often with a slightly reddish or greenish tint depending on impurities (e.g., silver, copper).

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Distinctive metallic luster, even when tarnished.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Smooth to slightly rough, often found as irregular grains, flakes, wires, or nuggets. Can be massive or dendritic.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Cubic crystal system, but well-formed crystals are rare. Typically occurs as irregular masses, scales, wires, dendrites, or nuggets. Octahedral and dodecahedral forms are occasionally observed.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None. Gold is sectile and malleable, meaning it can be cut and hammered into thin sheets without breaking along planes.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Primarily found in hydrothermal quartz veins associated with igneous and metamorphic rocks, often with sulfides (pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite). Also extensively found in placer deposits (alluvial, eluvial, and beach placers) derived from the erosion of primary gold-bearing rocks.

Key Facts

Hardness

2.5-3 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

19.3 (pure gold); decreases with increasing silver content (electrum)

Crystal System

Cubic (isometric)

Color

Golden-yellow

Luster

Metallic

Transparency

Opaque

Fracture

Hackly (jagged, sharp edges)

Cleavage

None

Composition

Elemental gold (Au), often with minor silver (Ag) and sometimes copper (Cu) or other metals.

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Typically anhedral masses, scales, flakes, wires, dendrites, or nuggets. Rarely forms distinct crystals (octahedra, dodecahedra, cubes).
• Cleavage Type: Absent
• Fracture Type: Hackly
• Tenacity: Malleable and ductile (can be hammered into thin sheets and drawn into wire without breaking). Sectile (can be cut with a knife).
• Luster Type: Metallic

Explore Native Gold