Mineral · Sulfides
Covellite
CuS
Covellite is indigo-blue copper sulfide with a brassy iridescence, forming platy crystals at Butte, Montana, Leonard Mine and Sardinia, and massive material in Peru. Butte covellite plates are the classic; the mineral is very soft and the platy crystals flex. It is a minor copper ore and a striking cabinet piece.
| Formula | CuS |
|---|---|
| IMA status | grandfathered |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Mohs hardness | 1.5–2 |
| Group | Sulfides |
| Type locality | Vesuvius, Italy |
| Streak | Lead grey to black |
| Specific gravity | 4.7 |
| Reference list | IMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list |
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Covellite" (Mineral). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/covellite. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-covellite,
title = {Covellite},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/covellite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.