Often called Fool's Gold, this common sulfide is easily distinguished from true gold by its brittle nature and greenish-black streak. It frequently forms perfect cubic or pyritohedral crystals and is found in a wide variety of geological environments ranging from sedimentary shales to hydrothermal ore deposits.
Is this gold sulfides?
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 gold sulfides with a known reference. Gold Sulfides sits at Mohs 6-6.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Gold Sulfides leaves a greenish-black streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Gold Sulfides typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pale brass-yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: cubes, pyritohedrons, massive.
Often confused with
Gold Sulfides vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Gold Sulfides is noticeably harder (Mohs 6-6.5 vs. 3.5-4).
How to tell apart: Gold Sulfides is noticeably harder (Mohs 6-6.5 vs. 2.5-3); streak differs — Gold Sulfides leaves greenish-black, Gold leaves golden yellow.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Gold Sulfides leaves greenish-black, Arsenopyrite leaves black.
Often found alongside gold sulfides
Minerals reported to co-occur with gold sulfides. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- FeS₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 4.8-5.2 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Greenish-black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Cubes, Pyritohedrons, Massive
- Cleavage
- Poor
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Industrial, Jewelry
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins, Sedimentary Rocks
- Typical price
- $5-50 thumbnail, $20-200 cabinet
Where rockhounds find gold sulfides
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Spain
- Peru
- USA
- Russia
- Peru
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins, sedimentary rocks country — that is the host setting where gold sulfides typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, galena, sphalerite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a cubes, pyritohedrons, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Georgia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find gold sulfides on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
