Vanalite is a rare secondary vanadium mineral that typically forms as soft, yellow to orange-yellow crusts in sandstone. It is most commonly identified in oxidation zones of uranium-vanadium mines in the Colorado Plateau, where it appears in microscopic aggregates.
Is this vanalite?
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 vanalite with a known reference. Vanalite sits at Mohs 1, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: yellow.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: waxy to vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: light yellow, orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: crusts, aggregates of lath-like crystals.
Often confused with
Vanalite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Carnotite is the harder of the two (Mohs 2 vs. 1); streak differs, so Vanalite leaves yellow, Carnotite leaves strontian-yellow; luster reads waxy to vitreous on Vanalite and dull, earthy; silky when crystalline on Carnotite.
How to tell apart: Tyuyamunite is the harder of the two (Mohs ~2 vs. 1); streak differs, so Vanalite leaves yellow, Tyuyamunite leaves light yellow; luster reads waxy to vitreous on Vanalite and adamantine, pearly on {001}, may be dull to waxy if massive on Tyuyamunite.
Often found alongside vanalite
Minerals reported to co-occur with vanalite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NaAl₈V₁₀O₃₈·30H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1
- Density
- 2.3-2.4 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellow
- Luster
- Waxy to vitreous
- Transparency
- Semitransparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Crusts, aggregates of lath-like crystals
- Cleavage
- {010}, perfect; {100}, less so
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Incrusting joints and cavities in weathered shales
Where rockhounds find vanalite
Classic worldwide localities
- Prospect in the Kurumsak River valley, northwestern Kara-Tau Mountains, south Kazakhstan (type locality)
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Incrusting joints and cavities in weathered shales. If you start seeing steigerite, hewettite, delvauxite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: crusts, aggregates of lath-like crystals. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify vanalite?+
Where is vanalite found?+
Is vanalite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like vanalite?+
What minerals are found with vanalite?+
What kind of rock does vanalite form in?+
What is vanalite used for?+
Find vanalite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
