Purpurite is an attractive manganese phosphate mineral, recognized for its vibrant deep purple to violet coloration resulting from iron-to-manganese oxidation. It is most often found as massive or encrusted material within pegmatites, where it forms through the alteration of lithiophilite. Collectors prize it for its intense color, though its softness makes it challenging for jewelry use without stabilization.
Is this purpurite?
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 purpurite with a known reference. Purpurite sits at Mohs 4-4.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pale purple to pale red.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: satiny on fresh fractures.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brownish black, violet, dark pink, dark red, reddish purple.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Purpurite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Purpurite leaves pale purple to pale red, Lepidolite leaves white; luster reads satiny on fresh fractures on Purpurite and pearly to vitreous on Lepidolite.
How to tell apart: Sugilite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5-6.5 vs. 4-4.5); streak differs, so Purpurite leaves pale purple to pale red, Sugilite leaves white; luster reads satiny on fresh fractures on Purpurite and vitreous on Sugilite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Purpurite leaves pale purple to pale red, Charoite leaves white; luster reads satiny on fresh fractures on Purpurite and vitreous to pearly on Charoite.
Often found alongside purpurite
Minerals reported to co-occur with purpurite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Mn³⁺PO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4-4.5
- Density
- 3.2-3.4 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Pale purple to pale red
- Luster
- Satiny on fresh fractures
- Transparency
- Translucent to opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- {100}, good; {010}, imperfect; surfaces may be curved or crinkled
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- Derived from oxidation and leaching of primary Mn–Fe phosphates, particularly lithiophilite, in complex granite pegmatites; rarely, formed by reaction between bat guano and Fe–Mn deposits resulting from seawater ingress
Where rockhounds find purpurite
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Faires tin mine, Kings Mountain, Gaston Co., North Carolina, USA
- White Picacho district, Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA
- Large cleavages from the Crystal Mountain district, Larimer Co., Colorado, USA
- Custer Mountain mine, South Dakota, USA
- Mangualde pegmatite, near Mesquitela, Portugal
- Varuträsk pegmatite, 15 km northwest of Skellefteå, Västerbotten, Sweden
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Derived from oxidation and leaching of primary Mn–Fe phosphates, particularly lithiophilite, in complex granite pegmatites; rarely, formed by reaction between bat guano and Fe–Mn deposits resulting from seawater ingress. If you start seeing lithiophilite, sicklerite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New Hampshire, North Carolina. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find purpurite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
