Native vanadium is an extremely rare element in its pure metallic form. It typically appears as metallic gray grains or tiny scales and is almost exclusively found by professional mineralogists rather than casual collectors.
Is this native vanadium?
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 vanadium with a known reference. Native Vanadium sits at Mohs 3 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Native Vanadium leaves a gray streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Native Vanadium typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver-gray, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: grains, scales, massive.
Often confused with
Native Vanadium vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Native Iron is the harder of the two (Mohs 4-5 vs. 3); streak differs — Native Vanadium leaves gray, Native Iron leaves steel gray.
How to tell apart: Native Vanadium is noticeably harder (Mohs 3 vs. 2); streak differs — Native Vanadium leaves gray, Stibnite leaves lead-gray.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Native Vanadium leaves gray, Galena leaves lead-gray.
Often found alongside native vanadium
Minerals reported to co-occur with native vanadium. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- V
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 6.0 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Gray
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Grains, Scales, Massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Rarely Occurring in Nature; Found in Localized Geological Anomalies
- Typical price
- $500+ for rare micro specimens
Where rockhounds find native vanadium
Classic worldwide localities
- Russia
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in rarely occurring in nature; found in localized geological anomalies country — that is the host setting where native vanadium typically forms. If you start seeing iron, sulfides in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a grains, scales, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find native vanadium on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
