Juabite is a very rare copper tellurite mineral discovered in the Tintic District of Utah. It typically occurs as small, delicate light-green platy crystals or crusts coating fractures in oxidized gold-bearing ores.
Is this juabite?
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 juabite with a known reference. Juabite sits at Mohs 2.5-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Juabite leaves a pale green streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Juabite typically shows a vitreous to adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: light green, pale blue-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: platy crystals, crusts, aggregates.
Often confused with
Juabite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Juabite leaves pale green, Teineite leaves pale blue; luster reads vitreous to adamantine on Juabite and vitreous on Teineite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Juabite leaves pale green, Malachite leaves light green; luster reads vitreous to adamantine on Juabite and vitreous on Malachite.
Often found alongside juabite
Minerals reported to co-occur with juabite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Cu₅(TeO₃)₄(AsO₄)₂·3H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-3
- Density
- 4.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- Pale Green
- Luster
- Vitreous to Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Platy Crystals, Crusts, Aggregates
- Cleavage
- Perfect On {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Oxidized Tellurium-bearing Hydrothermal Ore Deposits
Where rockhounds find juabite
Classic worldwide localities
- Tintic District, Juab County, Utah, USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in oxidized tellurium-bearing hydrothermal ore deposits country, the host setting where juabite typically forms. If you start seeing tellurite, emmonsite, quetzalcoatlite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a platy crystals, crusts, aggregates habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find juabite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
