Crocoite is prized by collectors for its stunning, intense orange-red color and delicate, needle-like crystal structure. It is most famous for the exceptional specimens found in the Dundas district of Tasmania, where it forms in the oxidized zone of lead deposits.
Is this crocoite?
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 crocoite with a known reference. Crocoite sits at Mohs 2.5-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: yellow-orange.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, red, yellow, red orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: acicular, crystalline, massive.
Often confused with
Crocoite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Crocoite leaves yellow-orange, Wulfenite leaves white; luster reads adamantine on Crocoite and resinous, subadamantine to adamantine on Wulfenite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Crocoite leaves yellow-orange, Vanadinite leaves white to pale red or pale yellow; luster reads adamantine on Crocoite and subresinous to subadamantine on Vanadinite.
Often found alongside crocoite
Minerals reported to co-occur with crocoite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- PbCrO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-3
- Density
- 6.0-6.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- Yellow-orange
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular, crystalline, massive
- Cleavage
- Distinct on {110}; indistinct on {001} and {100}
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Mineralogical study
- Host rock
- An uncommon secondary mineral in the oxidized portions of lead deposits associated with chromium-bearing rocks; may be of post-mine formation
Where rockhounds find crocoite
Classic worldwide localities
- Darwin, Inyo Co., California, USA
- Moon Anchor, Potter-Kramer, Pack Rat, and other mines south of Wickenburg, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA
- Tsvetnoi mine, Mt. Uspenskaya, the Preobrazhensky mine, and other mines, Beresovsk district, and on Mt. Tochil’naya, Middle Ural Mountains, near Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
- Băiţa (Rézbánya), Romania
- Obercallenberg, near Glauchau, Saxony, Germany
- Hopeful vein, Leadhills, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: An uncommon secondary mineral in the oxidized portions of lead deposits associated with chromium-bearing rocks; may be of post-mine formation. If you start seeing phoenicochroite, vauquelinite, embreyite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: acicular, crystalline, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify crocoite?+
Where is crocoite found?+
Is crocoite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like crocoite?+
What minerals are found with crocoite?+
What kind of rock does crocoite form in?+
What is crocoite used for?+
Find crocoite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
