Tulameenite is a rare platinum-group mineral that typically occurs as small, metallic grains within placer deposits or altered ultramafic rocks. It is chemically distinct for its specific Pt-Fe-Cu composition and is primarily sought after by advanced collectors of rare platinum-group minerals.
Is this tulameenite?
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 tulameenite with a known reference. Tulameenite sits at Mohs 5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: microscopic crystals.
Often confused with
Tulameenite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Sperrylite is the harder of the two (Mohs 6-7 vs. 5); streak differs, so Tulameenite leaves gray, Sperrylite leaves black.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Tulameenite leaves gray, Platinum leaves grayish white.
Often found alongside tulameenite
Minerals reported to co-occur with tulameenite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pt₂FeCu
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Density
- 14.9 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Gray
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Microscopic crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Geological research
- Host rock
- In placers (Canada); in Uralian ultramafics (Nizhni Tagil, Russia); in Cu–Ni–PGM deposits in dunite-troctolite-gabbro (Ioko-Dovyren massif, Russia)
Where rockhounds find tulameenite
Classic worldwide localities
- Stillwater complex, Montana, and in the Salmon River placers, Goodnews Bay, Alaska, USA
- Placers in the Tulameen and Similkameen River areas, British Columbia (type locality), Canada
- Guma Water, Sierra Leone
- Yubdo, Ethiopia
- Nizhni Tagil, Ural Mountains, Russia
- A placer in the Upper Miask River, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In placers (Canada); in Uralian ultramafics (Nizhni Tagil, Russia); in Cu–Ni–PGM deposits in dunite-troctolite-gabbro (Ioko-Dovyren massif, Russia). If you start seeing pt–fe alloys, geversite, chalcopyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: microscopic crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify tulameenite?+
Where is tulameenite found?+
Is tulameenite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like tulameenite?+
What minerals are found with tulameenite?+
What kind of rock does tulameenite form in?+
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Find tulameenite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
