Native Gold
Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Archaeodontosaurus" title="User:Archaeodontosaurus">Didier Descouens</a> (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mineral NameNative Gold
Chemical FormulaAu
Mohs Hardness2.5
Crystal Systemcubic
Lustermetallic
Streak Colorgolden yellow
Cleavagenone
Fracturehackly
Specific Gravity19.3
Colorsgolden yellow
Transparencyopaque
Type LocalityMina Zapata, Santa Elena de Uairen, Bolívar, Venezuela
Mineral GroupNative Elements
Usesjewelry, investment, electronics, dentistry, coinage, collector
Associated Mineralsquartz, pyrite, other sulfides
Rarityuncommon
Description
This specimen is a bright, lustrous golden yellow native gold nugget, exhibiting a complex, somewhat dendritic or wire-like form with irregular surfaces and some open spaces.
Geological Context
Native gold typically forms in hydrothermal veins associated with quartz in igneous and metamorphic rocks, or as placer deposits in alluvial sediments where it has been weathered and concentrated.
