Tangeite is a rare calcium-copper vanadate that typically forms as colorful, fibrous crusts or radial aggregates in vanadium-rich sedimentary environments. Collectors look for its distinctive pearly luster and vibrant olive-green to yellow hues, which distinguish it from more common members of the descloizite group.
Is this tangeite?
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 tangeite with a known reference. Tangeite sits at Mohs 3.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Tangeite leaves a yellowish streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Tangeite typically shows a pearly luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, green, olive-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: fibrous aggregates, crusts, radial aggregates.
Often confused with
Tangeite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Tangeite leaves yellowish, Descloizite leaves orange to brownish-red; luster reads pearly on Tangeite and greasy to adamantine on Descloizite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Tangeite leaves yellowish, Mottramite leaves yellowish green; luster reads pearly on Tangeite and greasy on Mottramite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Tangeite leaves yellowish, Volborthite leaves yellowish-green; luster reads pearly on Tangeite and vitreous on Volborthite.
Often found alongside tangeite
Minerals reported to co-occur with tangeite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaCuVO₄(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Density
- 4.2-4.3 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellowish
- Luster
- Pearly
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Fibrous Aggregates, Crusts, Radial Aggregates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Sedimentary Vanadium-bearing Deposits
- Typical price
- $20-150 for micro to thumbnail specimens
Where rockhounds find tangeite
Classic worldwide localities
- Tange-i-Shaiton, Iran
- Tyuya-Muyun, Kyrgyzstan
- Colorado Plateau, USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in sedimentary vanadium-bearing deposits country — that is the host setting where tangeite typically forms. If you start seeing vanadinite, cuprite, barite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a fibrous aggregates, crusts, radial aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find tangeite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
