RockIDGuide
minerals

Pyrite ("Fool's Gold")

The brassy impostor — metallic gold color, iron-hard, and cubic crystals that fooled every gold rush.

Core Biological & Field Specifications
Hardness
6–6.5 (scratches glass)
Streak
Greenish-black to brownish-black
Luster
Metallic
Lookalike
Gold (gold is softer, malleable, yellow streak)

Profile & Natural History

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