Rocksday

Vivianite

An iron phosphate that is nearly colorless when fresh but darkens to deep blue-green in light.

Vivianite specimen
Photo: CarlesMillan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify vivianite

  • Blue-green bladed crystals that darken over time.
  • Very soft and flexible.
  • Often on fossils, bones or in bogs.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Llallagua, Bolivia
  • Kerch, Crimea
  • Cameroon
  • Brazil

Uses

Collector specimens; historically a blue pigment.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling. Keep it in the dark to slow darkening.

Did you know?

Vivianite sometimes forms on buried bones, turning them blue.

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

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