Chernikovite is a rare secondary uranium phosphate mineral that typically forms as a dehydration product of autunite. It is characterized by its bright yellow, platy or micaceous crystal habit and exhibits strong green fluorescence under ultraviolet light.
Is this chernikovite?
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 chernikovite with a known reference. Chernikovite sits at Mohs 2.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Chernikovite leaves a pale yellow streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Chernikovite typically shows a pearly luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, lemon-yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: platy crystals, micaceous aggregates, crusts.
Often confused with
Chernikovite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Chernikovite leaves pale yellow, Meta-autunite leaves yellow.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Chernikovite leaves pale yellow, Torbernite leaves pale green; luster reads pearly on Chernikovite and vitreous on Torbernite.
Often found alongside chernikovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with chernikovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (H₃O)₂(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·6H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 3.37 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Pale Yellow
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Platy Crystals, Micaceous Aggregates, Crusts
- Cleavage
- Perfect Basal
- Fluorescence
- Bright Green Under UV Light
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins, Uranium Deposits
- Typical price
- $50-300 per specimen depending on size and quality
Where rockhounds find chernikovite
Classic worldwide localities
- Dalnegorsk, Russia
- Loděnice, Czech Republic
- Margnac, France
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins, uranium deposits country — that is the host setting where chernikovite typically forms. If you start seeing meta-autunite, uraninite, autunite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a platy crystals, micaceous aggregates, crusts habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find chernikovite on the map
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