Cohenite is a rare iron carbide mineral found almost exclusively in iron meteorites. It typically appears as brittle, tin-white grains or thin plates within the nickel-iron matrix of metallic meteorites, serving as a key indicator of specific thermal conditions during the formation of planetary bodies.
Is this cohenite?
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 cohenite with a known reference. Cohenite sits at Mohs 5.5-6 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Cohenite leaves a grey-black streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Cohenite typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, silver-white, tin-white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: granular, massive, plates.
Often confused with
Cohenite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside cohenite
Minerals reported to co-occur with cohenite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Fe,Ni,Co)₃C
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 7.2-7.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- Grey-black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Granular, Massive, Plates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific Research
- Host rock
- Iron Meteorites
- Typical price
- $50-500 depending on specimen size and source meteorite
Where rockhounds find cohenite
Classic worldwide localities
- Canyon Diablo meteorite (USA)
- Magura meteorite (Slovakia)
- Sikhote-Alin meteorite (Russia)
- Cape York meteorite (Greenland)
Field-hunting tip
Look in iron meteorites country — that is the host setting where cohenite typically forms. If you start seeing kamacite, taenite, schreibersite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a granular, massive, plates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find cohenite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
