Image: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/47445767@N05">James St. John</a> (CC BY 2.0)
cubicrareNative Elements
Platinum
Pt
Small, irregular, silvery-white to steel-gray metallic nuggets, typically rounded due to alluvial transport in placer deposits.
Platinum Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
3.5Crystal System
cubicLuster
metallicStreak Color
steel-gray to silvery-whiteCleavage
noneFracture
hacklySpecific Gravity
14Colors
silvery-white, steel-grayTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Granite Creek, southern British Columbia, CanadaMineral Group
Native ElementsUses
jewelry, catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, dentistry, electrical contacts, medical implants, investmentAssociated Minerals
chromite, olivine, pyroxene, magnetite, gold, palladium, iridiumRarity
rareGeological Context
Platinum is found in ultramafic igneous rocks and as secondary placer deposits, where it is concentrated by the weathering and erosion of primary deposits.
