Pushcharovskite is a rare copper arsenate mineral typically found as delicate, pale green to blue-green platy crystals or radiating sprays. It is most often discovered in the oxidized portions of arsenical copper deposits where it forms as a secondary mineral. Collectors value it for its vibrant color and unique crystal habit, though it requires careful handling due to its arsenic content.
Is this pushcharovskite?
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 pushcharovskite with a known reference. Pushcharovskite 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: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: very light green, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: acicular, aggregates, radial.
Often confused with
Pushcharovskite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Cornubite is the harder of the two (Mohs ~4 vs. 2); streak differs, so Pushcharovskite leaves white, Cornubite leaves pale green.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Pushcharovskite leaves white, Clinoclase leaves bluish green.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Pushcharovskite leaves white, Strashimirite leaves pale green; luster reads vitreous on Pushcharovskite and pearly to greasy on Strashimirite.
Often found alongside pushcharovskite
Minerals reported to co-occur with pushcharovskite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- K₀.₆Cu₁₈[AsO₂(OH)₂]₄[AsO₃(OH)]₁₀(AsO₄)(OH)₉.₆(H₂O)₉.₆·9H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2
- Density
- 3.35 g/cm³
- Colors
- Very light greenColorless
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular, aggregates, radial
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {010}; good on {001}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A very rare secondary mineral from the oxidized zone of a polymetallic hydrothermal base metal deposit (Cap Garonne mine, France)
Where rockhounds find pushcharovskite
Classic worldwide localities
- Cap Garonne mine, near le Pradet, Var, and at the Salsigne mine, 15 km north of Carcassone, Aude, France
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A very rare secondary mineral from the oxidized zone of a polymetallic hydrothermal base metal deposit (Cap Garonne mine, France). If you start seeing tennantite, covellite, geminite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: acicular, aggregates, radial. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify pushcharovskite?+
Where is pushcharovskite found?+
Is pushcharovskite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like pushcharovskite?+
What minerals are found with pushcharovskite?+
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Find pushcharovskite on the map
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