Owyheeite is a rare lead-silver-antimony sulfosalt that typically presents as delicate, hair-like or acicular needles in metallic silver-gray tones. It is best identified by its association with galena and quartz in hydrothermal veins, often appearing as fibrous masses or matted clusters.
Is this owyheeite?
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 owyheeite with a known reference. Owyheeite sits at Mohs 2.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Owyheeite leaves a gray-black streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Owyheeite typically shows a metallic luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: steel-gray, silver-white, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: acicular crystals, fibrous, massive.
Often confused with
Owyheeite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside owyheeite
Minerals reported to co-occur with owyheeite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₇Ag₂Sb₆S₁₅
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Density
- 6.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- Gray-black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular Crystals, Fibrous, Massive
- Cleavage
- Poor
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $20-150 per specimen depending on size and quality
Where rockhounds find owyheeite
Classic worldwide localities
- Owyhee County, Idaho, USA
- Potosi, Bolivia
- Broken Hill, Australia
- Freiberg, Germany
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins country, the host setting where owyheeite typically forms. If you start seeing galena, sphalerite, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a acicular crystals, fibrous, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find owyheeite on the map
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