Chenevixite is a rare secondary copper iron arsenate found in the oxidized zones of metal-rich ore deposits. It usually forms as compact, resinous masses or crusts that can vary from bright yellowish-green to deep dark green, often requiring chemical testing or X-ray diffraction to confirm due to its massive habit.
Is this chenevixite?
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 chenevixite with a known reference. Chenevixite sits at Mohs 3.5-4.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: greenish yellow.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: greasy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow green, dark green, olive green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: compact, cryptocrystalline, massive.
Often confused with
Chenevixite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Chenevixite is noticeably harder (Mohs 3.5-4.5 vs. 2.5); streak differs, so Chenevixite leaves greenish yellow, Pharmacosiderite leaves yellowish green; luster reads greasy on Chenevixite and adamantine to greasy on Pharmacosiderite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Chenevixite leaves greenish yellow, Olivenite leaves olive-green to brown; luster reads greasy on Chenevixite and adamantine to vitreous, pearly to silky if fibrous on Olivenite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Chenevixite leaves greenish yellow, Ludjibaite leaves pale blue to white; luster reads greasy on Chenevixite and vitreous on Ludjibaite.
Often found alongside chenevixite
Minerals reported to co-occur with chenevixite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CuFe(AsO₄)(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5-4.5
- Density
- 4.38 g/cm³
- Streak
- Greenish yellow
- Luster
- Greasy
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Compact, cryptocrystalline, massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- An uncommon secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of some hydrothermal polymetallic mineral deposits
Where rockhounds find chenevixite
Classic worldwide localities
- American Eagle and Mammoth mines, Tintic district, Juab Co., and the Gold Hill mine, Tooele Co., Utah, USA
- Majuba Hill mine, Antelope district, Pershing Co., Nevada, USA
- Alum Gulch, near Patagonia, Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA
- Wheal Gorland and Wheal Unity, Gwennap, at the Phoenix United mines, Linkinhorne, and in the Old Gunnislake mine, Calstock, Cornwall, England
- Brandy Gill mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England
- Benjamín Hill, Las Animas, and on Cerro Morita, about 27 km southwest of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: An uncommon secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of some hydrothermal polymetallic mineral deposits. If you start seeing quartz, olivenite, scorodite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: compact, cryptocrystalline, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find chenevixite on the map
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