Pintadoite is a rare vanadium mineral that typically occurs as thin, bright green crusts or efflorescences on sandstone surfaces. It is primarily found in the uranium-vanadium deposits of the Colorado Plateau, where it forms through the oxidation of primary vanadium-bearing minerals. Collectors should look for its distinctive yellow-green coating in desert sandstone outcrops.
Is this pintadoite?
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 pintadoite with a known reference. Pintadoite sits at Mohs 1-2, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Pintadoite leaves a yellowish-green streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Pintadoite typically shows a dull luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: crusts, efflorescences, radial aggregates.
Often confused with
Pintadoite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Pintadoite leaves yellowish-green, Rossite leaves yellow; luster reads dull on Pintadoite and pearly on Rossite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Pintadoite leaves yellowish-green, Metarossite leaves yellow; luster reads dull on Pintadoite and vitreous on Metarossite.
Often found alongside pintadoite
Minerals reported to co-occur with pintadoite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂V₂O₇·9H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1-2
- Density
- 2.5 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellowish-green
- Luster
- Dull
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Crusts, Efflorescences, Radial Aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Sandstone
- Typical price
- $20-100 for small specimens
Where rockhounds find pintadoite
Classic worldwide localities
- Pintado Point, Arizona, USA
- Monument Valley, Utah, USA
- Colorado Plateau, USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in sandstone country, the host setting where pintadoite typically forms. If you start seeing gypsum, carnotite, tyuyamunite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a crusts, efflorescences, radial aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify pintadoite?+
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How much is pintadoite worth?+
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Find pintadoite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
