How to identify Vanadinite

To correctly identify Vanadinite (Vanadinite), 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

   Typically bright red, orange-red, brownish-red, sometimes yellow, brown, or gray. The most characteristic colors are vivid reds and oranges.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Adamantine to resinous, giving it a brilliant, almost greasy or waxy appearance.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Crystals are typically well-formed, often hexagonal prisms. Can also occur as botryoidal, globular, or encrusting masses. The surface can be smooth on well-formed crystals or granular in aggregates.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Hexagonal system, commonly forming stout to slender hexagonal prisms, often with a hollow core or barrel shape. Also found as tabular crystals, crusts, and globular aggregates.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None observed (absent). It exhibits a conchoidal to uneven fracture.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Found in the oxidized zone of lead-bearing ore deposits, often associated with other secondary lead minerals (e.g., cerussite, anglesite) and iron oxides (e.g., goethite, limonite). It requires the presence of lead, vanadium, and chlorine for its formation.

Key Facts

Hardness

2.5-3 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

6.8-7.1 (very dense, due to high lead content)

Crystal System

Hexagonal

Color

Red, orange-red, brownish-red, yellow, brown, gray

Luster

Adamantine to resinous

Transparency

Transparent to translucent

Fracture

Conchoidal to uneven

Cleavage

None

Composition

Lead chlorovanadate, Pb5(VO4)3Cl

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Hexagonal prisms (stout to slender, often hollow or barrel-shaped), tabular crystals, crusts, globular aggregates, botryoidal masses.
• Cleavage Type: Absent
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal to uneven
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Adamantine to resinous

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