Ingodite is a rare telluride mineral often occurring as thin, metallic gray lamellae in hydrothermal veins. It is visually indistinguishable from other members of the tetradymite group without X-ray diffraction or chemical analysis. Collectors typically seek it for its association with other rare bismuth minerals in specialized mineralogical assemblages.
Is this ingodite?
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 ingodite with a known reference. Ingodite sits at Mohs 2.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: lead-gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Ingodite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside ingodite
Minerals reported to co-occur with ingodite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Bi₂TeS
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 7.88 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Lead-gray
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In feldspar-quartz veins and greisen (Ingoda deposit, Russia)
Where rockhounds find ingodite
Classic worldwide localities
- Bluebird mine, Little Dragoon Mountains, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA
- Verkhne-Ingodinskoye (Ingoda) tin deposit, near the source of the Ingoda River, central Transbaikal (type locality), Russia
- Tyrnyauz W–Mo deposit, left bank of the Baksan River Valley, northern Caucasus Mountains, Russia
- Brandy Gill, Cumbria, England (type locality)
- Băiţa (Rézbánya), Romania
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In feldspar-quartz veins and greisen (Ingoda deposit, Russia). If you start seeing bismuthinite, joséite, tetradymite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify ingodite?+
Where is ingodite found?+
Is ingodite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like ingodite?+
What minerals are found with ingodite?+
What kind of rock does ingodite form in?+
What is ingodite used for?+
Find ingodite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
