mineral

Tangerine Quartz

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Hematite/Limonite coatings

Hardness: 7 (Mohs), Color: Orange to rust-red, Luster: Vitreous (glassy), Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal), Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65

Identified June 7, 2026More mineral →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Hardness: 7 (Mohs), Color: Orange to rust-red, Luster: Vitreous (glassy), Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal), Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65

Formation & geological history

Forms when quartz crystals grow in the presence of water and iron minerals. Specifically, it gets its color from the oxidation of hematite or limonite on the surface of the crystal faces, often in hydrothermal veins or sedimentary deposits.

Uses & applications

Primarily used as a collector specimen, for crystal healing/metaphysical practices, and occasionally in jewelry as wire-wrapped pendants.

Geological facts

Unlike citrine, which is colored by iron impurities within the internal crystal lattice, Tangerine Quartz is colored by an external surface coating of iron oxides that has become part of the crystal face.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its signature orange staining and hexagonal prismatic crystal habit. To verify, note that the color is usually concentrated on the surface and may be lighter at the core if the crystal is broken. Found in Brazil and Madagascar.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

metamorphic

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite

Mineral/Rock

Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)

Gneiss (specifically a banded variety often found as a river rock)

Metamorphic Rock

Biotite Schist

Biotite-rich Schist [K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(F,OH)2]

metamorphic