Euchlorine is a rare copper-bearing mineral found primarily as a sublimate in volcanic fumaroles. It typically appears as bright emerald-green crusts or tiny, fragile crystals around active volcanic vents.
Is this euchlorine?
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 euchlorine with a known reference. Euchlorine sits at Mohs 3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pistachio green.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: dark green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: crusts, tabular crystals, or fine-grained aggregates.
Often confused with
Euchlorine vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Euchlorine leaves pistachio green, Atacamite leaves apple-green; luster reads vitreous on Euchlorine and adamantine to vitreous on Atacamite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Euchlorine leaves pistachio green, Paratacamite leaves green.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Euchlorine leaves pistachio green, Brochantite leaves pale green.
Often found alongside euchlorine
Minerals reported to co-occur with euchlorine. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- KNaCu₃O(SO₄)₃
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 3.27 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Pistachio green
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Crusts, tabular crystals, or fine-grained aggregates
- Cleavage
- In two directions
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A rare sublimate around volcanic fumaroles
Where rockhounds find euchlorine
Classic worldwide localities
- Vesuvius, Campania, Italy
- Izalco volcano, El Salvador
- Tolbachik fissure volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A rare sublimate around volcanic fumaroles. If you start seeing dolerophanite, eriochalcite, chalcocyanite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: crusts, tabular crystals, or fine-grained aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find euchlorine on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
