Ternovite is a rare magnesium niobium oxide, typically white. It occurs as encrustations in hydrothermal alteration zones of carbonatite. It was first described from the Vuoriyarvi massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia.
Is this ternovite?
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 ternovite with a known reference. Ternovite sits at Mohs 3, 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 to silky.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: radial, spherical.
Often confused with
Ternovite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Ternovite is noticeably harder (Mohs 3 vs. 1.5); streak differs, so Ternovite leaves white, Todorokite leaves black; luster reads adamantine to silky on Ternovite and metallic to dull; silky in aggregates on Todorokite.
How to tell apart: Ternovite is noticeably harder (Mohs 3 vs. 1.5); streak differs, so Ternovite leaves white, Birnessite leaves brownish-black; luster reads adamantine to silky on Ternovite and dull on Birnessite.
How to tell apart: Psilomelane is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-6 vs. 3); streak differs, so Ternovite leaves white, Psilomelane leaves brownish black; luster reads adamantine to silky on Ternovite and submetallic on Psilomelane.
Often found alongside ternovite
Minerals reported to co-occur with ternovite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- MgNb₄O₁₁·8-12H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 3.65 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Adamantine to silky
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Radial, spherical
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- As a very rare late-formed mineral in fractures in lithium-rich pegmatite (Foote mine, North Carolina, USA); on a museum specimen from a metamorphosed Fe–Mn orebody (Långban, Sweden)
Where rockhounds find ternovite
Classic worldwide localities
- Foote mine, Kings Mountain, Cleveland Co., North Carolina, USA
- Långban, Värmland, Sweden
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: As a very rare late-formed mineral in fractures in lithium-rich pegmatite (Foote mine, North Carolina, USA); on a museum specimen from a metamorphosed Fe–Mn orebody (Långban, Sweden). If you start seeing bavenite, eakerite, siderite–rhodochrosite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: radial, spherical. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify ternovite?+
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Find ternovite on the map
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