Minasragrite is a rare, water-soluble vanadium sulfate mineral typically found as bright blue crusts or tiny, powdery aggregates. It is primarily known from the type locality in the Minas Ragra vanadium mine in Peru, where it forms as a secondary alteration product of patronite.
Is this minasragrite?
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 minasragrite with a known reference. Minasragrite sits at Mohs 1-2, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: light blue.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: microcrystalline crusts, globular aggregates.
Often confused with
Minasragrite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside minasragrite
Minerals reported to co-occur with minasragrite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- VOSO₄·5H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1-2
- Density
- 2.03 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Light blue
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Microcrystalline crusts, globular aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- An alteration product of patronite in a rich deposit of vanadian materials in fissures that cut red shales and that were probably filled by a remobilized asphaltite deposit (Minasragra, Peru)
Where rockhounds find minasragrite
Classic worldwide localities
- North Mesa mine group, Temple Mountain district, Emery County, Utah, USA
- Minasragra, 46 km from Cerro de Pasco, Peru
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: An alteration product of patronite in a rich deposit of vanadian materials in fissures that cut red shales and that were probably filled by a remobilized asphaltite deposit (Minasragra, Peru). If you start seeing patronite, melanterite, morenosite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: microcrystalline crusts, globular aggregates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify minasragrite?+
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Is minasragrite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like minasragrite?+
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Find minasragrite on the map
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