Lautite is a rare copper arsenic sulfide mineral that typically occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal veins. It often forms steel-gray tabular crystals or metallic massive aggregates and is most recognized for its association with silver and other arsenic-bearing minerals.
Is this lautite?
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 lautite with a known reference. Lautite sits at Mohs 3-3.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic to semimetallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: grayish black, black, steel gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: tabular crystals, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Lautite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside lautite
Minerals reported to co-occur with lautite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CuAsS
- Mohs hardness
- 3-3.5
- Density
- 4.91 g/cm³
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic to semimetallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular crystals, massive, granular
- Cleavage
- {001}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In hydrothermal veins formed at medium temperatures
Where rockhounds find lautite
Classic worldwide localities
- Lauta, near Marienberg, Saxony (type locality), Germany
- Mühltal, Niederbeerbach, Odenwald, Hesse, Germany
- Gabe-Gottes mine, Rauenthal, near Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, France
- Turţ, Romania
- Laerma Au–Cu–U deposit, Sichuan Province, China
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In hydrothermal veins formed at medium temperatures. If you start seeing arsenic, tennantite, proustite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: tabular crystals, massive, granular. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify lautite?+
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Find lautite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
