Perovskite is a calcium titanium oxide mineral known for its distinctive pseudocubic crystal habit and brilliant adamantine luster. It is most often found in mafic or alkaline igneous rocks and is highly valued by collectors for its sharp, well-formed geometry.
Is this perovskite?
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 perovskite with a known reference. Perovskite sits at Mohs 5.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white to grayish white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: adamantine to metallic; may be dull.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black, reddish brown, pale yellow, yellowish orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: pseudo cubic, pseudo hexagonal, reniform.
Often confused with
Perovskite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Perovskite leaves white to grayish white, Pyrochlore leaves brown; luster reads adamantine to metallic; may be dull on Perovskite and vitreous to resinous on Pyrochlore.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Perovskite leaves white to grayish white, Ilmenite leaves black to reddish brown; luster reads adamantine to metallic; may be dull on Perovskite and metallic to submetallic on Ilmenite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Perovskite leaves white to grayish white, Magnetite leaves black; luster reads adamantine to metallic; may be dull on Perovskite and metallic to submetallic, may be dull on Magnetite.
Often found alongside perovskite
Minerals reported to co-occur with perovskite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaTiO₃
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5
- Density
- 3.98-4.26 g/cm³
- Streak
- White to grayish white
- Luster
- Adamantine to metallic; may be dull
- Transparency
- Opaque, transparent in thin fragments
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Pseudo cubic, pseudo hexagonal, reniform
- Cleavage
- {001}, imperfect
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- An accessory mineral in alkaline mafic rocks, as nepheline syenites, kimberlites, carbonatites, commonly deuteric; in calcareous skarns
Where rockhounds find perovskite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Crestmore quarry, Riverside Co., and near the Gem mine, San Benito Co., California, USA
- A Iron Hill carbonatite, Gunnison Co., Colorado, USA
- Magnet Cove, Hot Spring Co., Arkansas, USA
- Akhmatovsk mines, near Zlatoust, Ural Mountains, and from the Lovozero massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia
- Norrvik, and on Alnö Island, Sweden
- Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: An accessory mineral in alkaline mafic rocks, as nepheline syenites, kimberlites, carbonatites, commonly deuteric; in calcareous skarns. If you start seeing nepheline, titanite, ilmenite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: pseudo cubic, pseudo hexagonal, reniform. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Arkansas. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find perovskite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
