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 — 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 — Euchlorine leaves pale green, Paratacamite leaves apple green; luster reads vitreous on Euchlorine and adamantine on Paratacamite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — 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 — that is 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.
