Mimetite is a striking lead arsenate mineral often found in the oxidized zones of base metal deposits. Collectors value it for its vivid yellow-to-orange hues and its aesthetic botryoidal or hexagonal crystal habits, frequently appearing alongside wulfenite.
Is this mimetite?
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 mimetite with a known reference. Mimetite sits at Mohs 3.5-4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Mimetite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Mimetite typically shows a resinous to subadamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, orange, brown, colorless, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, botryoidal, crusts, globular.
Often confused with
Mimetite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside mimetite
Minerals reported to co-occur with mimetite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₅(AsO₄)₃Cl
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5-4
- Density
- 7.1-7.3 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Resinous to Subadamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Botryoidal, Crusts, Globular
- Cleavage
- On {1011}, Interrupted
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Oxidized Zones of Lead-arsenic Mineral Deposits
Where rockhounds find mimetite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Johanngeorgenstadt, Germany
- Mapimi, Mexico
- Tsumeb, Namibia
- Broken Hill, Australia
Field-hunting tip
Look in oxidized zones of lead-arsenic mineral deposits country, the host setting where mimetite typically forms. If you start seeing galena, cerussite, wulfenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, botryoidal, crusts, globular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Arizona. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify mimetite?+
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Can I find mimetite in the United States?+
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Find mimetite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
