Hypercinnabar is a rare mercury sulfide polymorph that forms under specific low-temperature conditions. It is typically found alongside common cinnabar and requires professional analysis to distinguish from other mercury sulfides due to its similar appearance.
Is this hypercinnabar?
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 hypercinnabar with a known reference. Hypercinnabar 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: dark black-purple.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: red, purple black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: microscopic crystals.
Often confused with
Hypercinnabar vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hypercinnabar leaves dark black-purple, Cinnabar leaves scarlet.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hypercinnabar leaves dark black-purple, Metacinnabar leaves black; luster reads adamantine on Hypercinnabar and metallic on Metacinnabar.
Often found alongside hypercinnabar
Minerals reported to co-occur with hypercinnabar. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- HgS
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 7.43 g/cm³
- Colors
- RedPurple black
- Streak
- Dark black-purple
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Microscopic crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Intimately associated with metacinnabar, which it generally resembles
Where rockhounds find hypercinnabar
Classic worldwide localities
- Mt. Diablo mine, Contra Costa Co., California (type locality), USA
- White Caps mine, Manhattan district, Nye Co., Nevada, USA
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Intimately associated with metacinnabar, which it generally resembles. If you start seeing metacinnabar in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: microscopic crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify hypercinnabar?+
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Is hypercinnabar safe to handle?+
What rocks look like hypercinnabar?+
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Find hypercinnabar on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
