Elbrusite is a highly unusual, uranium-bearing member of the garnet group discovered in the Northern Caucasus. It typically occurs as small, dark, subhedral to euhedral crystals within rare skarn assemblages and is prized primarily by advanced mineralogists for its complex chemistry.
Is this elbrusite?
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 elbrusite with a known reference. Elbrusite sits at Mohs 7-7.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: brown.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous to dull, resinous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black, dark-brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: dodecahedral crystals.
Often confused with
Elbrusite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Elbrusite leaves brown, Andradite leaves white; luster reads vitreous to dull, resinous on Elbrusite and adamantine to resinous, dull on Andradite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Elbrusite leaves brown, Schorlomite leaves grayish black to red-orange or orange-brown.
Often found alongside elbrusite
Minerals reported to co-occur with elbrusite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₃(Zr₁.₅U₀.₅)Fe₃O₁₂
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 4.801 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Brown
- Luster
- Vitreous to dull, resinous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Dodecahedral crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In spurrite zones in skarn developed in xenoliths in ignimbrite
Where rockhounds find elbrusite
Classic worldwide localities
- Upper Chegem caldera, near Mt. Lakargi, on the interfluve between the Chegem and Kenstanty Rivers, Kabardino-Balkaria, Northern Caucasus, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In spurrite zones in skarn developed in xenoliths in ignimbrite. If you start seeing spurrite, rondorfite, wadalite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: dodecahedral crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify elbrusite?+
Where is elbrusite found?+
Is elbrusite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like elbrusite?+
What minerals are found with elbrusite?+
What kind of rock does elbrusite form in?+
What is elbrusite used for?+
Find elbrusite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
