Moolooite is a rare copper oxalate mineral typically found as a secondary crust or powder on copper-rich rocks exposed to organic acids. It is famously associated with bird excrement weathering onto copper deposits, making it a unique mineralogical curiosity for advanced collectors.
Is this moolooite?
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 moolooite with a known reference. Moolooite sits at Mohs 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: dull to waxy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: microscopic crystals.
Often confused with
Moolooite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Azurite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5-4 vs. 2); streak differs, so Moolooite leaves light blue, Azurite leaves pale blue; luster reads dull to waxy on Moolooite and vitreous to subadamantine on Azurite.
How to tell apart: Malachite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5-4 vs. 2); streak differs, so Moolooite leaves light blue, Malachite leaves pale green; luster reads dull to waxy on Moolooite and adamantine to vitreous; silky if fibrous; dull to earthy if massive on Malachite.
Often found alongside moolooite
Minerals reported to co-occur with moolooite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CuC₂O₄·nH₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2
- Density
- 3.43 g/cm³
- Streak
- Light blue
- Luster
- Dull to waxy
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Microscopic crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- On an outcrop of quartz, thought to have formed by reaction between bird guano and soluble secondary copper minerals (Mooloo Station, Australia); in a mine shaft near tree roots (Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France)
Where rockhounds find moolooite
Classic worldwide localities
- Mooloo Station, 12 km east of the homestead, Murchison, Western Australia
- Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, France
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: On an outcrop of quartz, thought to have formed by reaction between bird guano and soluble secondary copper minerals (Mooloo Station, Australia); in a mine shaft near tree roots (Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France). If you start seeing opaline silica, sampleite, libethenite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: microscopic crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify moolooite?+
Where is moolooite found?+
Is moolooite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like moolooite?+
What minerals are found with moolooite?+
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Find moolooite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
