Curite is a striking secondary uranium mineral that forms through the alteration of uraninite in the oxidation zones of uranium deposits. Collectors typically seek out its vibrant orange to reddish-orange needle-like crystals or dense fibrous aggregates, which are frequently found in classic Congolese deposits.
Is this curite?
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 curite with a known reference. Curite 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: orange.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, reddish orange, brownish yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: acicular, encrustations, massive.
Often confused with
Curite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Curite is noticeably harder (Mohs 4-5 vs. 2.5); streak differs, so Curite leaves orange, Becquerelite leaves yellow.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Curite leaves orange, Vandenbrandeite leaves green; luster reads adamantine on Curite and vitreous on Vandenbrandeite.
Often found alongside curite
Minerals reported to co-occur with curite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₃[(UO₂)₄O₄(OH)₃]₂·2H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 4-5
- Density
- 6.98-7.4 g/cm³
- Streak
- Orange
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular, encrustations, massive
- Cleavage
- {100}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A secondary mineral commonly formed through alteration of uraninite
Where rockhounds find curite
Classic worldwide localities
- Shinkolobwe, Katanga Province, Congo (Shaba Province, Zaire)
- La Crouzille, Puy-de-Dôme, France
- Menzenschwand, Black Forest, and Wölsendorf, Bavaria, Germany
- El Dorado mine, Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
- Elliot Lake district and at Villeneuve, Quebec, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A secondary mineral commonly formed through alteration of uraninite. If you start seeing fourmarierite, vandendriesscheite, schoepite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: acicular, encrustations, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find curite on the map
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