Rocksday

Covellite

An indigo-blue copper sulfide that forms thin, flexible plates with purple iridescence.

Covellite specimen
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify covellite

  • Deep indigo blue with purple and brassy iridescence.
  • Thin, flexible plates.
  • Very soft.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Butte, Montana
  • Sardinia, Italy
  • Mount Vesuvius, Italy

Uses

Minor copper ore.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

Covellite was the first naturally occurring superconductor discovered.

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