Takovite is a rare nickel aluminum carbonate hydroxide mineral primarily found as a secondary weathering product in ultramafic rocks. It typically presents as soft, waxy or pearly green crusts or fine-grained masses, often requiring X-ray diffraction for definitive identification.
Is this takovite?
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 takovite with a known reference. Takovite 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: pearly.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue green, yellow green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Takovite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Gartrellite is the harder of the two (Mohs 4.5 vs. 2); streak differs, so Takovite leaves white, Gartrellite leaves bright yellow; luster reads pearly on Takovite and chalky on Gartrellite.
How to tell apart: Zaratite is the harder of the two (Mohs 3.5 vs. 2); streak differs, so Takovite leaves white, Zaratite leaves light green; luster reads pearly on Takovite and vitreous to greasy on Zaratite.
Often found alongside takovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with takovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ni₆Al₂(OH)₁₆(CO₃)·4H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2
- Density
- 2.80 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In a karstitic bauxite at the contact of limestone and metamorphosed serpentinite (Takovo, Serbia); an alteration product of nickel sulfides (Western Australia)
Where rockhounds find takovite
Classic worldwide localities
- Wells Canyon, Oquirrh Mountains, Utah Co., Utah, and at the Alpine mine, Clear Creek, San Benito Co., California, USA
- Takovo, Serbia
- Blangvette West mine, Le Thoronet, Var, France
- Mueo, New Caledonia
- Western Australia, at the Carr Boyd Rocks nickel mine
- Agnew nickel deposit, north of Kalgoorlie
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a karstitic bauxite at the contact of limestone and metamorphosed serpentinite (Takovo, Serbia); an alteration product of nickel sulfides (Western Australia). If you start seeing gibbsite, allophane, glaukosphaerite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify takovite?+
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Find takovite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
