Vaesite is a rare nickel sulfide mineral that typically forms as small, opaque, octahedral crystals. It is most commonly found in association with other sulfide minerals in copper-cobalt deposits or hydrothermal environments.
Is this vaesite?
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 vaesite with a known reference. Vaesite 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. Streak: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic to submetallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black, steel gray, tin white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: disseminated, massive.
Often confused with
Vaesite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Pyrite is the harder of the two (Mohs 6-6.5 vs. ~3.5); streak differs, so Vaesite leaves black, Pyrite leaves greenish black to brownish black.
How to tell apart: Sperrylite is the harder of the two (Mohs 6-7 vs. ~3.5).
Often found alongside vaesite
Minerals reported to co-occur with vaesite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NiS₂
- Mohs hardness
- ~3.5
- Density
- 4.45 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic to submetallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Disseminated, massive
- Cleavage
- {001}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Disseminated through dolostone (Kasompi mine, Congo); an alteration product of arsenic-deficient nickel-skutterudite (Germany)
Where rockhounds find vaesite
Classic worldwide localities
- Miliken (Sweetwater) mine, Reynolds Co., Missouri, and from the Orphan mine, in the Grand Canyon, Coconino Co., Arizona, USA
- Kasompi mine, 70 km west-southwest of Kambove (type locality), and at Shinkolobwe, Katanga Province, Congo (Shaba Province, Zaire)
- Schneeberg, Saxony, Germany
- Nentershausen, ??ck, and Iserlohn, ??ck, Germany
- Providencia mine, near Villamanín, Cármenes district, León Province, Spain
- Saint Marina deposit, Haskovo district, and at the Medet deposit, Panagyurishte district, Bulgaria
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Disseminated through dolostone (Kasompi mine, Congo); an alteration product of arsenic-deficient nickel-skutterudite (Germany). If you start seeing arsenic-deficient nickel-skutterudite, pyrite, polydymite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: disseminated, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify vaesite?+
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Is vaesite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like vaesite?+
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Find vaesite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
