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Erythrite

A crimson-pink cobalt arsenate that forms where cobalt ores weather.

Erythrite specimen
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify erythrite

  • Crimson to pink crusts or radiating crystals.
  • Very soft.
  • Often coats dark cobalt ores.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Bou Azzer, Morocco
  • Cobalt, Ontario
  • Schneeberg, Germany

Uses

A prospecting guide to cobalt (and silver) ores.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling. Contains arsenic.

Did you know?

Pink 'cobalt bloom' stains helped prospectors find the silver mines of Cobalt, Ontario.

Think you could spot it from a blurry close-up?

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