Stibivanite is a rare antimony vanadium oxide mineral found in complex hydrothermal settings. It typically forms as delicate bladed crystals or radial sprays with an adamantine luster, making it a sought-after curiosity for advanced mineral collectors.
Is this stibivanite?
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 stibivanite with a known reference. Stibivanite sits at Mohs ~4, 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: adamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow green, dark yellow green, emerald green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: bladed crystals, radial aggregates, crusts.
Often confused with
Stibivanite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Stibiconite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5-7 vs. ~4); streak differs, so Stibivanite leaves white, Stibiconite leaves light yellow; luster reads adamantine on Stibivanite and pearly, opaline, glassy to earthy on Stibiconite.
How to tell apart: Stibivanite is noticeably harder (Mohs ~4 vs. 2.5-3).
Often found alongside stibivanite
Minerals reported to co-occur with stibivanite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Sb₂VO₅
- Mohs hardness
- ~4
- Density
- 5.12 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Bladed crystals, radial aggregates, crusts
- Cleavage
- Good
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In late veins in a hydrothermal antimony deposit (Lake George deposit, Canada); in a metasomatized hydrothermal iron deposit (Buca della Vena mine, Italy)
Where rockhounds find stibivanite
Classic worldwide localities
- Lake George antimony deposit, 40 km west of Fredricton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Buca della Vena mine, northeast of Stazzema, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In late veins in a hydrothermal antimony deposit (Lake George deposit, Canada); in a metasomatized hydrothermal iron deposit (Buca della Vena mine, Italy). If you start seeing antimony, stibnite, sénarmontite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: bladed crystals, radial aggregates, crusts. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify stibivanite?+
Where is stibivanite found?+
Is stibivanite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like stibivanite?+
What minerals are found with stibivanite?+
What kind of rock does stibivanite form in?+
What is stibivanite used for?+
Find stibivanite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
