Tučekite is an extremely rare nickel-antimony sulfide mineral typically found in complex base-metal sulfide deposits. It usually occurs as minute inclusions or granular masses within other sulfides and is primarily sought after by advanced systematic mineral collectors.
Is this tučekite?
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 tučekite with a known reference. Tučekite sits at Mohs 6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: light yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: irregular grains.
Often confused with
Tučekite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside tučekite
Minerals reported to co-occur with tučekite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ni₉Sb₂S₈
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 6.15 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Irregular grains
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- In a hydrothermal deposit (Kanowna, Australia); in heavy mineral concentrates (Witwatersrand, South Africa); in serpentinites (Vozhmin massif, Russia)
Where rockhounds find tučekite
Classic worldwide localities
- Kanowna, north of Kalgoorlie (type locality), and in the Whim Creek copper deposit, Pilbara district, Western Australia, Tasmania
- Central Balstrup lease, Zeehan, Tasmania
- Witwatersrand, in the Vaal Reefs mine, Klerkdorp, South Africa
- Vozhmin massif, Segezha district, central Karelia, Russia
- Kapitanov chromite deposit, near Zvenyhorodka, Ukraine
- Rocheservières, Vendée, France
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a hydrothermal deposit (Kanowna, Australia); in heavy mineral concentrates (Witwatersrand, South Africa); in serpentinites (Vozhmin massif, Russia). If you start seeing millerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: irregular grains. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify tučekite?+
Where is tučekite found?+
Is tučekite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like tučekite?+
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Find tučekite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
