Nisbite is a rare nickel-antimony mineral that typically appears as anhedral to subhedral metallic grains within sulfide assemblages. Collectors usually find it as a minor constituent in complex ore environments, often associated with other nickel-bearing minerals. Because it is rarely found in well-formed crystals, identification usually requires micro-analysis or X-ray diffraction.
Is this nisbite?
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 nisbite with a known reference. Nisbite sits at Mohs 5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: tin white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: anhedral grains, massive, granular.
Often confused with
Nisbite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nisbite leaves black, Löllingite leaves grayish black.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nisbite leaves black, Safflorite leaves grayish black.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Nisbite leaves black, Rammelsbergite leaves grayish black.
Often found alongside nisbite
Minerals reported to co-occur with nisbite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NiSb₂
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Density
- 8 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Anhedral grains, massive, granular
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- Very rare in a high-grade base-metal sulfide deposit in altered mafic rock (Trout Bay, Canada); in Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag ore deposits remobilized by hydrothermal solutions from younger granite emplacement (Bergslagen, Sweden)
Where rockhounds find nisbite
Classic worldwide localities
- Trout Bay, 32 km west of Red Lake, Kenora district, Ontario, Canada (type locality)
- Festivalnoe Cu–Sn mine, Magadan region, Sakha, and from Zolotaya Gora, Ural Mountains, Russia
- Gruvåsen and Getön deposits, and at Tunaberg, Bergslagen metallic province, Sweden
- Sulitjelma, northern Norway
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Very rare in a high-grade base-metal sulfide deposit in altered mafic rock (Trout Bay, Canada); in Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag ore deposits remobilized by hydrothermal solutions from younger granite emplacement (Bergslagen, Sweden). If you start seeing chalcopyrite, breithauptite, pyrargyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: anhedral grains, massive, granular. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify nisbite?+
Where is nisbite found?+
Is nisbite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like nisbite?+
What minerals are found with nisbite?+
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Find nisbite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
