Shcherbinaite is a rare vanadium oxide mineral primarily found as yellow acicular crystals or crusts in high-temperature fumarole environments. It is highly sensitive to humidity and can be unstable, often requiring sealed storage to prevent alteration in the presence of moisture.
Is this shcherbinaite?
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 shcherbinaite with a known reference. Shcherbinaite sits at Mohs 3-3.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: pale yellow.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: acicular, fibrous.
Often confused with
Shcherbinaite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Shcherbinaite leaves pale yellow, Vanadinite leaves white to pale red or pale yellow; luster reads vitreous on Shcherbinaite and subresinous to subadamantine on Vanadinite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Shcherbinaite leaves pale yellow, Sulfur leaves white; luster reads vitreous on Shcherbinaite and resinous on Sulfur.
Often found alongside shcherbinaite
Minerals reported to co-occur with shcherbinaite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- V₂O₅
- Mohs hardness
- 3-3.5
- Density
- 3.38 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Pale yellow
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular, fibrous
- Cleavage
- {010} and {001}, perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Deposited from fumarolic gasses, rich in halogens, at 500–550°C, on the walls of volcanic fissures (Bezymianny volcano, Russia)
Where rockhounds find shcherbinaite
Classic worldwide localities
- Bezymyanniy volcano and the Tolbachik fissure volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
- El Salvador, on the Izalco volcano
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Deposited from fumarolic gasses, rich in halogens, at 500–550°C, on the walls of volcanic fissures (Bezymianny volcano, Russia). If you start seeing bannermanite, stoiberite, ziesite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: acicular, fibrous. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify shcherbinaite?+
Where is shcherbinaite found?+
Is shcherbinaite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like shcherbinaite?+
What minerals are found with shcherbinaite?+
What kind of rock does shcherbinaite form in?+
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Find shcherbinaite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
