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. Euchlorine leaves a pale green streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Euchlorine typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: emerald-green, yellow-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 pale 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 pale green, Paratacamite leaves apple green; luster reads vitreous on Euchlorine and adamantine on Paratacamite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Euchlorine leaves pale 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
- Cu₄O(SO₄)(Cl,OH)₆
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 3.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- Pale Green
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Crusts, Tabular Crystals, Or Fine-grained Aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Fumaroles in Volcanic Environments
- Typical price
- $50-300 per specimen
Where rockhounds find euchlorine
Classic worldwide localities
- Vesuvius, Italy
- Kamchatka, Russia
- Chuquicamata, Chile
Field-hunting tip
Look in fumaroles in volcanic environments country, the host setting where euchlorine typically forms. If you start seeing tenorite, chalcocyanite, dolerophanite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a crusts, tabular crystals, or fine-grained aggregates habit, so 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.
