Pascoite

Description

Pascoite has a hardness of 2½ and a specific gravity of 2.455. According to Wikipedia, Pascoite is a mineral that is red-orange to yellow in color and was “discovered in the Pasco Province of Peru, for which it is named, and described in 1914.” Wikipedia also includes that Pascoite is “a secondary mineral occurring as a leachate of near-surface vanadium oxides by ground waters and as efflorescences in mine tunnels.”

According to Mindat, Pascoite has been found since 1914 in around 93 recorded localities worldwide, with six in Europe, one in China, one in Argentina, its TL in Peru, one in Nevada, and 83 localities in the Four Corners Region (SW CO, SE UT, NE AZ, and NW NM).

According to WebMineral, Pascoite is found in U-V sedimentary deposits. Additionally, WebMineral shows that Pascoite is comprised of 52% Oxygen, 37% Vanadium, 9% Calcium, and 2% Hydrogen, so this bright yellow rock would make for a great sample of Vanadium for element collectors!

While this might be a little more rare than most of the other minerals shown on this channel, and might not be as likely as others to be one you’ll encounter on your next hike, you never know! You may just stumble onto a new Uranium/Vanadium discovery if you’re walking on sedimentary deposits and see a bright yellow rock just like this!