I was ready to give up on identifying this weird green mineral

Spent three days trying to match it to online photos with no luck. Finally, I just put a drop of vinegar on it. It fizzed like crazy, which meant it was a carbonate. That one stupid kitchen trick narrowed it down from like fifty possibilities to maybe three. Ended up being malachite, which made total sense given the location. Anyone know other simple home tests that actually work for basic mineral ID?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher9031mo ago

The vinegar test is a classic. I once spent a whole weekend convinced I'd found a meteorite because it was heavy and magnetic. Turns out it was just a chunk of slag from an old ironworks, which I confirmed by the sheer disappointment on my face. A cheap streak plate is the only other home thing I trust. Scraping a mineral on unglazed ceramic can tell you a lot, and it saves you from trying to use a piece of your own floor tile like I did. That left a permanent green line in my kitchen.

val_wilson1mo ago

That vinegar trick is a lifesaver. Christopher903 is right about the streak plate too, I keep a broken piece of tile in my rock kit. Learned that after scratching up my own countertop trying to test some pyrite.