Mineral Identifier — What Mineral Is This?
Upload a photo and our mineral identifier names the most likely mineral, tells you how confident it is, and points you to the streak, hardness and luster tests that confirm it. Mineralogy uses diagnostic properties, not just looks — so we do too.
How to get an accurate mineral ID
- • Photograph a fresh, clean surface — weathered coatings hide the true color and luster.
- • Capture the crystal shape (habit) and whether it breaks along flat faces (cleavage) or rough surfaces (fracture).
- • Note whether the luster is metallic (like pyrite) or non-metallic (glassy, dull, waxy, pearly).
- • Use natural daylight, a plain background, and include something for scale if you can.
Minerals our identifier recognizes
Common rock-forming and collector minerals — including pyrite, hematite, calcite, fluorite, quartz, malachite and sodalite. Each links to a field-guide page with chemistry, diagnostic properties and look-alikes.
How to confirm a mineral yourself
These are the classic field tests mineralogists rely on — no lab required:
- Streak: drag it across unglazed porcelain. The powder color is diagnostic — hematite always streaks red-brown even when it looks metallic grey.
- Hardness: the Mohs scale. Can a fingernail (≈2.5) scratch it? A copper coin (≈3.5)? Steel/glass (≈5.5)? Quartz (7) scratches glass.
- Cleavage vs. fracture: does it break along flat, mirror-like planes (mica, calcite, fluorite) or curved/irregular surfaces (quartz)?
- Acid fizz: a drop of vinegar fizzes on calcite and other carbonates.
- Magnetism & heft: magnetite tugs a magnet; dense metallic minerals like galena feel surprisingly heavy.
Why minerals take more than a glance
More than any other specimen, a mineral is defined by properties a camera cannot see. Two minerals can share a color and shape yet differ in hardness, streak or the way they break — which is why mineralogists lean on a short sequence of tests rather than appearance alone. The identifier reads everything visible in your photo (color, habit, luster, the minerals it grows alongside), gives its best match with a confidence score, then names the one or two tests that confirm or rule it out.
To go deeper, our mineral identification guide walks through the full property-by-property method, the streak test guide covers the single most useful check, and the Mohs hardness scale explains how to place a mineral from 1 to 10.
Frequently asked questions
Can a photo really identify a mineral?
For distinctive minerals, often yes — pyrite's brassy cubes, malachite's banded green, galena's metallic cubes or hematite's red streak are recognizable on sight. But many minerals are separated by properties a photo can't see, like streak and hardness, so we give a confidence score and tell you exactly which test to run.
What's the difference between a mineral and a rock?
A mineral is a single naturally-occurring compound with a definite chemical makeup and crystal structure (quartz, calcite, pyrite). A rock is a solid mixture of one or more minerals (granite is mostly quartz, feldspar and mica). If you have a mixed, grainy specimen, try the rock identifier instead.
What is the single most useful mineral test?
The streak test. Rubbing a mineral on unglazed porcelain leaves a powder whose color is often more reliable than the surface color — hematite looks grey or black but always leaves a red-brown streak, which gives it away instantly.
Is the mineral identifier free?
Yes — your first 3 identifications are free. Pro covers 100 identifications a day (600 a month), plus value, authenticity and care reports.
Mixed, grainy specimen? Try the rock identifier Polished or crystal stone? crystal identifier