Xitieshanite is a rare hydrated iron sulfate mineral that typically forms as an oxidation product of iron-bearing sulfides. Collectors most often encounter it as thin crusts or small, yellow-green tabular crystals in arid, mine-dump environments.
Is this xitieshanite?
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 xitieshanite with a known reference. Xitieshanite sits at Mohs 2.7, 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: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: acicular.
Often confused with
Xitieshanite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Xitieshanite leaves yellow, Jarosite leaves pale yellow; luster reads vitreous on Xitieshanite and subadamantine to vitreous, resinous on fractures on Jarosite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Xitieshanite leaves yellow, Rozenite leaves white.
How to tell apart: Xitieshanite is noticeably harder (Mohs 2.7 vs. 2); streak differs, so Xitieshanite leaves yellow, Melanterite leaves white.
Often found alongside xitieshanite
Minerals reported to co-occur with xitieshanite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- FeSO₄Cl·6H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2.7
- Density
- 1.98-1.99 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Yellow
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent to nearly transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Acicular
- Cleavage
- One, imperfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Formed in the oxidation zone of a pyrite-rich orebody in a very arid climate
Where rockhounds find xitieshanite
Classic worldwide localities
- Xitieshan Pb–Zn mine, south of Mt. Qilianshan, Chaidamu, Qinghai Province, China
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Formed in the oxidation zone of a pyrite-rich orebody in a very arid climate. If you start seeing copiapite, römerite, coquimbite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: acicular. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify xitieshanite?+
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Find xitieshanite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
