Patrónite is a rare vanadium sulfide mineral that typically occurs as massive, dark red to black aggregates within bituminous shales. It is best known as the primary ore mineral for vanadium at the famous Mina Ragra locality in Peru. Collectors should handle it with caution due to its composition and store it away from moisture to prevent degradation.
Is this patrónite?
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 patrónite with a known reference. Patrónite 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: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: lead gray, greenish black, black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: aggregates, massive.
Often confused with
Patrónite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Patrónite leaves black, Cinnabar leaves scarlet; luster reads metallic on Patrónite and adamantine, inclining to metallic when dark; dull in friable material on Cinnabar.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Patrónite leaves black, Realgar leaves red-orange to red; luster reads metallic on Patrónite and resinous to greasy on Realgar.
Often found alongside patrónite
Minerals reported to co-occur with patrónite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- VS₄
- Mohs hardness
- 2
- Density
- 2.82 g/cm³
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Aggregates, massive
- Cleavage
- Pronounced columnar cleavage
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of vanadium
- Host rock
- As interstitial filling in the core of a porous 2.5 m layer of admixed vanadium-bearing minerals
Where rockhounds find patrónite
Classic worldwide localities
- What was the world’s richest vanadium deposit, at Minasragra, 46 km from Cerro de Pasco, Peru (type locality)
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: As interstitial filling in the core of a porous 2.5 m layer of admixed vanadium-bearing minerals. If you start seeing sulfur, bravoite, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: aggregates, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify patrónite?+
Where is patrónite found?+
Is patrónite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like patrónite?+
What minerals are found with patrónite?+
What kind of rock does patrónite form in?+
What is patrónite used for?+
Find patrónite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
