Radovanite is a rare copper arsenate mineral typically found as small, resinous, platy crystals or crusts. It is named after the mineralogist Radovan Domanský and is known primarily from the Jáchymov district in the Czech Republic, where it forms in the oxidation zones of arsenic-rich hydrothermal deposits.
Is this radovanite?
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 radovanite with a known reference. Radovanite 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. Radovanite leaves a green streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Radovanite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pistachio-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: platy crystals, crusts.
Often confused with
Radovanite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Radovanite leaves green, Clinoclase leaves bluish-green.
How to tell apart: Cornwallite is the harder of the two (Mohs 4.5 vs. 3); streak differs, so Radovanite leaves green, Cornwallite leaves pale green.
Often found alongside radovanite
Minerals reported to co-occur with radovanite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Cu₄As₂O₇·3H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 3.85 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Green
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Platy Crystals, Crusts
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins
Where rockhounds find radovanite
Classic worldwide localities
- Roua copper deposit in the upper part of the Var Valley (Dalius gorge), Alpes-Maritimes, France
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins country, the host setting where radovanite typically forms. If you start seeing conichalcite, malachite, pharmacosiderite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a platy crystals, crusts habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find radovanite on the map
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