mineral
Turquoise
CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O
Hardness: 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale. Color: Bright blue, bluish-green, to yellowish-green. Luster: Waxy to sub-vitreous. Crystal structure: Triclinic. Cleavage: Perfect in one direction, good in another, but rarely seen. Specific gravity: 2.60 to 2.85.
- Hardness
- 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale
- Color
- Bright blue, bluish-green, to yellowish-green
- Luster
- Waxy to sub-vitreous
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Physical properties
Hardness: 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale. Color: Bright blue, bluish-green, to yellowish-green. Luster: Waxy to sub-vitreous. Crystal structure: Triclinic. Cleavage: Perfect in one direction, good in another, but rarely seen. Specific gravity: 2.60 to 2.85.
Formation & geological history
Formed by the action of meteoric waters percolating through copper-bearing aluminum-rich rocks, typically in arid environments.
Uses & applications
Widely used in jewelry, ornamental carvings, and inlaid decorative items.
Geological facts
Turquoise is one of the world's most ancient gem materials, prized by ancient civilizations including the Egyptians, Persians, and Native Americans for millennia.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its characteristic robins-egg blue or greenish-blue color often veined with dark matrix material (limonite or sandstone). Commonly found in the southwestern United States, Iran, China, and Sinai.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Soil with Mineral Detritus and Quartz Fragments
Regolith / Silicate Mineral Aggregate
sedimentary
Limonite / Goethite (Iron Ore Mineral nodule)
FeO(OH)·nH2O / FeO(OH)
mineral
Schist
Schist
Metamorphic
Septarian Pebble
Septarian nodule / Concretion
sedimentary
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)
Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
mineral