Metavivianite is a rare oxidation product of vivianite, often forming as a result of partial alteration. Collectors should look for its distinctive darker green to brownish hue compared to the typically vibrant, lighter-colored vivianite, as well as its unique triclinic crystal structure.
Is this metavivianite?
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 metavivianite with a known reference. Metavivianite sits at Mohs 1.5-2, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: yellowish brown.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: submetallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: leek green, gray green, reddish brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: prismatic, striated.
Often confused with
Metavivianite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Metavivianite leaves yellowish brown, Vivianite leaves white, altering to dark blue, brown; luster reads submetallic on Metavivianite and vitreous, pearly on the cleavage, dull when earthy on Vivianite.
How to tell apart: Strengite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5 vs. 1.5-2); streak differs, so Metavivianite leaves yellowish brown, Strengite leaves white; luster reads submetallic on Metavivianite and vitreous on Strengite.
Often found alongside metavivianite
Minerals reported to co-occur with metavivianite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂(PO₄)₂(OH)₂·6H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1.5-2
- Density
- 2.69 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellowish brown
- Luster
- Submetallic
- Transparency
- Transparent to opaque
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic, striated
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {110}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A secondary mineral typically formed from oxidizing vivianite, in complex granite pegmatites; authigenic, in bogs and soils
Where rockhounds find metavivianite
Classic worldwide localities
- Big Chief mine, one km south of Glendale, Pennington Co., South Dakota, USA
- Carroll, Carroll Co., Virginia, USA
- Big Fish River area, Yukon Territory, Canada
- Wannon River, Victoria, Australia
- Wheal Jane, Truro, Cornwall, England
- Norrö pegmatite, on Rånö Island, Sweden
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A secondary mineral typically formed from oxidizing vivianite, in complex granite pegmatites; authigenic, in bogs and soils. If you start seeing kryzhanovskite, triphylite, vivianite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic, striated. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify metavivianite?+
Where is metavivianite found?+
What rocks look like metavivianite?+
What minerals are found with metavivianite?+
What kind of rock does metavivianite form in?+
What is metavivianite used for?+
Find metavivianite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
