Step-by-step

Identification Wizard

1Primary Color

2Hardness (Mohs)

5 · Apatite

1 Talc10 Diamond

3Luster

4Extra Tests (optional)

Potential Matches (10)

Hematite

H 5–6

Leaves a distinctive reddish-brown streak; heavy for its size.

Streak
Red-brown
Where
Iron formations, weathered outcrops
Lookalike
Magnetite (magnetic, black streak)

Obsidian

H 5–5.5

Volcanic glass with conchoidal (shell-like) fracture and razor-sharp edges.

Streak
White
Where
Rhyolitic lava flows
Lookalike
Dark glass slag (often bubbly)

Apatite

H 5

Hexagonal prisms; the Mohs 5 reference mineral, often glowing under UV.

Streak
White
Where
Pegmatites, marble, phosphate beds
Lookalike
Beryl (much harder)

Serpentine

H 3–5

Soapy-feeling green rock, often mottled and fibrous.

Streak
White
Where
Altered ultramafic rocks
Lookalike
Jade (much tougher and harder)

Turquoise

H 5–6

Sky-blue to green crusts and veinlets in arid copper country.

Streak
White to pale green
Where
Weathered copper deposits in deserts
Lookalike
Chrysocolla (softer)

Limonite / Goethite

H 4–5.5

Rusty iron-hydroxide crusts and botryoidal masses; yellow-brown streak.

Streak
Yellow-brown
Where
Weathered iron-bearing rocks, bogs
Lookalike
Hematite (red streak)

Pumice

H 5–6

Frothy volcanic glass so full of bubbles it floats on water.

Streak
White
Where
Explosive volcanic deposits
Lookalike
Scoria (darker, denser)

Sandstone

H 3–7

Cemented sand grains; gritty feel, visible rounded grains with a lens.

Streak
White
Where
Ancient beaches, dunes, river beds
Lookalike
Quartzite (harder, grains fused)

Slate

H 3–5.5

Low-grade metamorphic rock that splits into smooth plates.

Streak
Grey
Where
Metamorphosed shale belts
Lookalike
Shale (duller, crumbly)

Schist

H 4–6

Sparkly foliated rock full of aligned mica flakes; often carries garnets.

Streak
Grey
Where
Regional metamorphic belts
Lookalike
Gneiss (banded, coarser)