Bowieite is a very rare rhodium-rich sulfide mineral that typically occurs as microscopic anhedral grains within platinum-group mineral deposits. It was first described from the Goodnews Bay platinum placers in Alaska and is highly sought after by advanced collectors of platinum-group minerals.
Is this bowieite?
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 bowieite with a known reference. Bowieite sits at Mohs 7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: gray, pale gray, pale brownish gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: anhedral grains.
Often confused with
Bowieite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside bowieite
Minerals reported to co-occur with bowieite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Rh₂S₃
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Density
- 6.91-6.96 g/cm³
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Anhedral grains
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In platinum alloy nuggets recovered from dredging operations (Salmon River, Alaska, USA); in platinum-bearing ultramafic rocks intruded into a granite gneiss-“hornblende” gneiss complex (Gaositai, China)
Where rockhounds find bowieite
Classic worldwide localities
- Salmon River, Goodnews Bay, Alaska, USA (type locality)
- Santiago River, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador
- Gusevogorskii massif, Ural Mountains, and the Baimka placer, Chukotka, Far Eastern Region, Russia
- Gaositai, Hebei Province, China
- Sediments in the Blagoevgrad graben, southwest Bulgaria
- Milverton, near Fifield, New South Wales, Australia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In platinum alloy nuggets recovered from dredging operations (Salmon River, Alaska, USA); in platinum-bearing ultramafic rocks intruded into a granite gneiss-“hornblende” gneiss complex (Gaositai, China). If you start seeing platinum-iridium, platinum, osmium in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: anhedral grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify bowieite?+
Where is bowieite found?+
What rocks look like bowieite?+
What minerals are found with bowieite?+
What kind of rock does bowieite form in?+
What is bowieite used for?+
Find bowieite on the map
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