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 — Pintadoite leaves yellowish-green, Rossite leaves yellow; luster reads dull on Pintadoite and pearly on Rossite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — 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 — that is 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.
