Native mercury is unique for being the only metal that is liquid at standard room temperature. It typically appears as silvery, highly reflective droplets or coatings in association with cinnabar in mercury-rich deposits.
Is this native mercury?
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 native mercury with a known reference. Native Mercury sits at Mohs inapplicable — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Native Mercury leaves a none streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Native Mercury typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver-white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: droplets, films, or coatings in cavities.
Often confused with
Native Mercury vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside native mercury
Minerals reported to co-occur with native mercury. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Hg
- Mohs hardness
- inapplicable
- Density
- 13.5-13.6 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- None
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Droplets, Films, Or Coatings in Cavities
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific Research
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $20-200 per vial depending on quantity and provenance
Where rockhounds find native mercury
Classic worldwide localities
- Almaden, Spain
- Idrija, Slovenia
- Monte Amiata, Italy
- New Almaden, California, USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where native mercury typically forms. If you start seeing cinnabar, calomel, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a droplets, films, or coatings in cavities habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find native mercury on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
