Mannardite is a rare barium-vanadium titanium oxide belonging to the hollandite group. It typically appears as small, black, vertically striated prismatic crystals often associated with quartz and anatase in hydrothermal deposits.
Is this mannardite?
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 mannardite with a known reference. Mannardite sits at Mohs 5.5-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white to grayish white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: prismatic.
Often confused with
Mannardite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Mannardite leaves white to grayish white, Hollandite leaves black; luster reads adamantine on Mannardite and metallic, splendent on Hollandite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Mannardite leaves white to grayish white, Cryptomelane leaves brownish black; luster reads adamantine on Mannardite and metallic to dull on Cryptomelane.
Often found alongside mannardite
Minerals reported to co-occur with mannardite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ba(Ti₆V₂)O₁₆
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-7
- Density
- 4.12-4.43 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White to grayish white
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic
- Cleavage
- {100}, good
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In late-stage quartz-carbonate veins cutting shale and siltstone (Rough claims, Canada); in an orebody in faulted metasediments and iron formation (Bathurst, Canada)
Where rockhounds find mannardite
Classic worldwide localities
- Rough claims, north of Sifton Pass, British Columbia, and in the Brunswick No. 12 orebody, Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada
- Kantsi, Sichuan Province, China
- Star mine, Free State, South Africa
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In late-stage quartz-carbonate veins cutting shale and siltstone (Rough claims, Canada); in an orebody in faulted metasediments and iron formation (Bathurst, Canada). If you start seeing barytocalcite, norsethite, sulvanite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify mannardite?+
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Is mannardite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like mannardite?+
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Find mannardite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
