Xanthoconite is a rare silver arsenic sulfide that typically forms as bright orange to reddish-brown tabular crystals. It is a dimorph of proustite and is almost exclusively found in high-grade silver deposits associated with other silver-bearing minerals.
Is this xanthoconite?
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 xanthoconite with a known reference. Xanthoconite sits at Mohs 2-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Xanthoconite leaves a orange to yellow streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Xanthoconite typically shows a adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, red, yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: tabular, prismatic crystals, sometimes as crusts.
Often confused with
Xanthoconite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Xanthoconite leaves orange to yellow, Proustite leaves scarlet.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Xanthoconite leaves orange to yellow, Pyrargyrite leaves red; luster reads adamantine on Xanthoconite and metallic to adamantine on Pyrargyrite.
Often found alongside xanthoconite
Minerals reported to co-occur with xanthoconite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ag₃AsS₃
- Mohs hardness
- 2-3
- Density
- 5.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- Orange to Yellow
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular, Prismatic Crystals, Sometimes as Crusts
- Cleavage
- Distinct On {101}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Silver Veins
- Typical price
- $50-500 depending on crystal size and quality
Where rockhounds find xanthoconite
Classic worldwide localities
- Freiberg, Saxony, Germany
- Jáchymov, Czech Republic
- Chañarcillo, Chile
- Bou Azzer, Morocco
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal silver veins country, the host setting where xanthoconite typically forms. If you start seeing proustite, pyrargyrite, stephanite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a tabular, prismatic crystals, sometimes as crusts habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find xanthoconite on the map
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