Briartite is a rare sulfide mineral primarily found in specific hydrothermal deposits like the Tsumeb mine. It typically occurs as small, steel-gray massive grains intergrown with other germanium-bearing sulfides, making it difficult to distinguish without X-ray diffraction or electron microprobe analysis.
Is this briartite?
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 briartite with a known reference. Briartite sits at Mohs 4.5, 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: blue gray, gray, iron gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: massive, anhedral grains.
Often confused with
Briartite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Briartite leaves black, Sphalerite leaves pale brown to pale yellow and white; luster reads metallic on Briartite and resinous to adamantine on Sphalerite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Briartite leaves black, Tennantite leaves reddish gray.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Briartite leaves black, Germanite leaves dark gray to black.
Often found alongside briartite
Minerals reported to co-occur with briartite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Cu₂FeGeS₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5
- Density
- 4.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive, anhedral grains
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- As rare inclusions in other Ge–Ga-bearing sulfides
Where rockhounds find briartite
Classic worldwide localities
- Prince Leopold mine, Kipushi, 28 km southwest of Lubumbashi, Katanga Province, Congo (Shaba Province, Zaire) (type locality)
- Tsumeb, Namibia
- Kabwe (Broken Hill), Zambia
- Radka deposit, Pazardzhik, Bulgaria
- Plan d’Argut zinc deposit, central Pyrénées, Haut-Garonne, France
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: As rare inclusions in other Ge–Ga-bearing sulfides. If you start seeing chalcopyrite, tennantite, reniérite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive, anhedral grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find briartite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
