Vivianite is a hydrated iron phosphate mineral prized for its intense, deep blue-green color. Collectors should note it is very soft and light-sensitive, often darkening to a deep blue or black upon exposure, so it should be stored in dark containers or light-protected displays.
Is this blue vivianite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch blue vivianite with a known reference. Blue Vivianite sits at Mohs 1.5-2 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Blue Vivianite leaves a white to light blue streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Blue Vivianite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, radial aggregates, fibrous masses.
Often confused with
Blue Vivianite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Blue Vivianite leaves white to light blue, Annabergite leaves pale green; luster reads vitreous on Blue Vivianite and pearly, vitreous on Annabergite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Blue Vivianite leaves white to light blue, Erythrite leaves pale pink; luster reads vitreous on Blue Vivianite and adamantine to pearly on Erythrite.
Often found alongside blue vivianite
Minerals reported to co-occur with blue vivianite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1.5-2
- Density
- 2.64-2.68 g/cm³
- Streak
- White to Light Blue
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Radial Aggregates, Fibrous Masses
- Cleavage
- Perfect {010}
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Display Specimen
- Host rock
- Sedimentary Deposits, Phosphate-rich Zones, Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $20-200 thumbnail, $300-2000 cabinet specimen
Where rockhounds find blue vivianite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Kertch Peninsula, Crimea
- Anloua, Cameroon
- Idaho, USA
- Cornwall, England
- Bolivia
Field-hunting tip
Look in sedimentary deposits, phosphate-rich zones, hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where blue vivianite typically forms. If you start seeing siderite, limonite, goethite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, radial aggregates, fibrous masses habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Virginia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find blue vivianite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
