Native Gold
Terrible Mine
Silver Plume, Colorado

This specimen measures 6cm x 5cm




Gold     Au

Native elements, often forms with some silver, copper, and iron

Color and Luster: Gold-yellow, brass-yellow, pale yellow; does not tarnish; metallic; streak gold-yellow, shiny

Hardness: 2.5-3

Cleavage: None

Fracture: Hackly, ductile and malleable

Crystals: Isometeric; commonly octahedral, dodecahedral, and cubic; commonly distorted; also grains, scales, lumps, plates, leaves, and wires

Note: Specimen donated by W. A. N. Severance

Photo by Mary Sutherland


Descriptions taken from
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals