Hypercinnabar is a rare mercury sulfide polymorph that forms under specific low-temperature conditions. It is typically found alongside common cinnabar and requires professional analysis to distinguish from other mercury sulfides due to its similar appearance.
Is this hypercinnabar?
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 hypercinnabar with a known reference. Hypercinnabar sits at Mohs 3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Hypercinnabar leaves a dark black-purple streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Hypercinnabar typically shows a adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: equant crystals.
Often confused with
Hypercinnabar vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hypercinnabar leaves dark black-purple, Cinnabar leaves scarlet.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hypercinnabar leaves dark black-purple, Metacinnabar leaves black; luster reads adamantine on Hypercinnabar and metallic on Metacinnabar.
Often found alongside hypercinnabar
Minerals reported to co-occur with hypercinnabar. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Hg₃S₂
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 7.43 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Dark Black-purple
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Equant Crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Mercury Deposits
Where rockhounds find hypercinnabar
Classic worldwide localities
- White Caps mine, Manhattan district, Nye Co., Nevada
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal mercury deposits country, the host setting where hypercinnabar typically forms. If you start seeing cinnabar, metacinnabar, sulfur in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a equant crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find hypercinnabar on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
