Vanadinite has a number of properties which, when considered together, usually make it easy to identify. It often occurs as brightly colored crystals that are usually short, tabular hexagonal prisms with a resinous to adamantine luster. It is most often bright yellow, orange, red or brown in color. It can also occur in globular forms and incrustations on other minerals.
As an ore of lead, vanadinite has a high specific gravity (6.6 to 7.2) and a low hardness (3 to 4 on the Mohs hardness scale). It has a pale yellow to yellowish brown streak and is brittle, easily breaking with an uneven or conchoidal fracture. The crystals can be transparent, translucent or opaque.
| Physical Properties of Vanadinite | |
| Chemical Classification | Lead cholorovanadate |
| Color | Usually bright yellow, orange, red or brown. Sometimes gray, black or colorless. |
| Streak | Pale yellow to yellowish brown |
| Luster | Resinous to adamantine |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque to translucent to transparent |
| Cleavage | None. Usually breaks with an uneven or conchoidal fracture. |
| Mohs Hardness | 3 to 4 |
| Specific Gravity | 6.6 to 7.2 depending upon purity |
| Diagnostic Properties | As an ore of lead, vanadinite has a very high specific gravity. Few minerals with this high of a specific gravity have an adamantine or resinous luster. The bright colors of vanadinite can help in its identification. Its crystal habit of short hexagonal prisms is also diagnostic. Vanadinite also occurs as incrustations and as globular masses. |
| Chemical Composition | Pb5(VO4)3Cl |
| Crystal System | Hexagonal |
| Uses | An ore of vanadium and a minor source of lead. Vanadinite is popular with mineral collectors because of its bright colors, high luster, and interesting crystal habit. |