Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Azurite vs. Smithsonite
It's carbonate-vs-carbonate to kick off Mineral Cup 2026 with copper-rich Azurite against zinc-rich Smithsonite.
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Cinnabar

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by Mark Kucera
Hide all sections | Show all sections

About CinnabarHide

Formula:
HgS
Colour:
Tint or shade of red; cochineal red, brownish red, silvery dark red; silvery-grey; may darken due to formation of mercury nanoparticles (https://mineralcare.web.ox.ac.uk/article/cinnabar)
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
2 - 2½
Specific Gravity:
8.176
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Name:
The origin of the name is still unclear, but beyond doubt oriental (Lüschen, 1979, p. 348).
The first name used for this mineral in a European lapidary, is the ancient Greek word "κιννάβαρι" (kinnàbari), mentioned by Theophrastus (c. 371 – c. 287 BC) in his treatise "Περὶ λίθων" (On Stones).
The α phase of HgS. Trimorphous with metacinnabar (the β phase) and hypercinnabar.




Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
1052
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1052:4

IMA Classification of CinnabarHide

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

Classification of CinnabarHide

2.CD.15a

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
D : With Sn, Pb, Hg, etc.
2.8.14.1

2 : SULFIDES
8 : AmXp, with m:p = 1:1
3.5.1

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
5 : Sulphides etc. of Hg and Tl

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.

SymbolSourceReference for Standard
CinIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43
CinWhitney & Evans (2010)Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185–187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371
CinThe Canadian Mineralogist (2019)The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download

Pronunciation of CinnabarHide

Pronunciation:
PlayRecorded byCountry
Jolyon RalphUnited Kingdom

Physical Properties of CinnabarHide

Metallic
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Colour:
Tint or shade of red; cochineal red, brownish red, silvery dark red; silvery-grey; may darken due to formation of mercury nanoparticles (https://mineralcare.web.ox.ac.uk/article/cinnabar)
Comment:
Cinnabar is naturally red, but can undergo photo-oxidation to form colloidal metallic mercury at the crystal surface. This mercury may produce a silver colouration (https://mineralcare.web.ox.ac.uk/article/cinnabar).
Streak:
Red-brown to scarlet
Hardness:
2 - 2½ on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN10=82 - 156 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Sectile
Cleavage:
Perfect
Perfect {1010}
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven, Sub-Conchoidal
Comment:
slightly sectile
Density:
8.176 g/cm3 (Measured)    8.20 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of CinnabarHide

Type:
Uniaxial (+)
RI values:
nω = 2.905 nε = 3.256
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.351
Based on recorded range of RI values above.

Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.

Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.

Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.

Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).

This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized uniaxial interference figure - the conoscopic (convergent-light, Bertrand-lens-in) view, for a grain cut with the optic axis centred and vertical. The coloured rings are isochromatics, computed with the same physics as the Michel-Lévy bar above; the dark cross is the isogyre.

For a genuinely uniaxial mineral viewed this way, that cross stays perfectly stationary if you rotate the stage - unlike a biaxial mineral, where it splits apart on rotation. That invariance is itself the standard diagnostic test for telling uniaxial and biaxial minerals apart at the microscope.
Anisotropism:
high
Reflectivity:
WavelengthR1 (%)R2 (%)
400nm30.0%33.5%
420nm28.8%32.1%
440nm27.4%30.9%
460nm26.4%29.9%
480nm25.7%29.5%
500nm25.2%29.4%
520nm24.6%29.4%
540nm24.2%29.1%
560nm23.9%28.6%
580nm23.7%27.9%
600nm23.4%27.3%
620nm23.0%26.8%
640nm22.6%26.3%
660nm22.4%26.0%
680nm22.1%25.7%
700nm21.9%25.5%


Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 33.5%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red

Chemistry of CinnabarHide

Mindat Formula:
HgS
Element Weights:
Element% weight
Hg86.218 %
S13.782 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
CAS Registry number:
1344-48-5

CAS Registry numbers are published by the American Chemical Society

Crystallography of CinnabarHide

Crystal System:
Trigonal
Class (H-M):
32 - Trapezohedral
Space Group:
P3121
Cell Parameters:
a = 4.145(2) Å, c = 9.496(2) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 2.291
Unit Cell V:
141.29 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
3
Morphology:
Rhombohedral crystals (to 10 cm), thick tabular {0001}, stout to slender prismatic || [1010]; massive, granular, as incrustations
Twinning:
Simple contact twins; plane {0001}, axis [0001]

Crystallographic forms of CinnabarHide

Crystal Atlas:
Image Loading
Click on an icon to view
View 3D crystal model
Cinnabar no.2 - {100} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
View 3D crystal model
Cinnabar no.10 - {011} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
View 3D crystal model
Cinnabar no.26 - {205} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
View 3D crystal model
Cinnabar no.35 - {101} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
View 3D crystal model
Cinnabar no.57 - {102} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by www.smorf.nl.

Toggle
Edge Lines | Miller Indices | Axes

Transparency
Opaque | Translucent | Transparent

View
Along a-axis | Along b-axis | Along c-axis | Start rotation | Stop rotation

Crystal StructureHide

Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File    Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0000007CinnabarRamsdell L S (1925) The crystal structures of some metallic sulfides American Mineralogist 10 281-3041925unknown0293
0012137CinnabarAuvray P, Genet F (1973) Affinement de la structure cristalline du cinabre a-HgS Bulletin de la Societe Francaise de Mineralogie et de Cristallographie 96 218-21919730293
0018203CinnabarBuckley H, Vernon W (1925) The cyrstal-structures of the sulphides of mercury. _cod_database_code 1011369 Mineralogical Magazine 20 382-39219250293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Loading XRD data...
Data Set:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
3.34 Å(9)
2.85 Å(10)
2.06 Å(5)
1.969 Å(5)
1.725 Å(5)
1.672 Å(6)
1.339 Å(5)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic ModeEarliest Age (Ga)
Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration4.566-4.550
6 : Secondary asteroid phases4.566-4.560
Stage 3a: Earth’s earliest Hadean crust>4.50
11 : Volcanic fumarole minerals; reduced phases (see also #45)
Stage 3b: Earth’s earliest hydrosphere>4.45
12 : Hadean hydrothermal subsurface sulfide deposits (see also #33)
High-? alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])
Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals<10 Ka
56 : Slag and smelter minerals (see also #51 and #55)
Geological Setting:
low-temperature hydrothermal, in veins and sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic host rocks

Synonyms of CinnabarHide

Other Language Names for CinnabarHide

Basque:Zinabrio
Bosnian:Cinabarit
Bulgarian:Цинобър
Catalan:Cinabri
Czech:Cinabarit
Danish:Cinnober
Dutch:Cinnaber
Estonian:Kinaver
Farsi/Persian:شنگرف (shangarf)
Finnish:Sinooperi
French:Cinabre
Galician:Cinabrio
Hungarian:Cinnabarit
Italian:Cinabro
Japanese:辰砂
Latvian:Cinobrs
Lithuanian:Cinoberis
Norwegian:Sinober
Polish:Cynober
Portuguese:Cinábrio
Quechua:Llimpi
Simplified Chinese:辰砂
Slovak:Cinabarit
Slovenian:Cinabarit
Spanish:Cinabrio
Traditional Chinese:辰砂
Turkish:Zincifre
Ukrainian:Кіновар
Vietnamese:Chu sa

Varieties of CinnabarHide

CorallinerzA curved lamellar variety of hepatic (impure) cinnabar.

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:
960 photos of Cinnabar associated with QuartzSiO2
869 photos of Cinnabar associated with DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
331 photos of Cinnabar associated with CalciteCaCO3
281 photos of Cinnabar associated with Native MercuryHg
216 photos of Cinnabar associated with MetacinnabarHgS
162 photos of Cinnabar associated with BaryteBaSO4
136 photos of Cinnabar associated with StibniteSb2S3
113 photos of Cinnabar associated with PyriteFeS2
57 photos of Cinnabar associated with SideriteFeCO3
56 photos of Cinnabar associated with AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

2.CD.SvetlanaiteSnSeOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
2.CD.05TeallitePbSnS2Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
2.CD.05HerzenbergiteSnSOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m)
2.CD.10 va'Quiroguite'Pb23Sb6S32
2.CD.10ClausthalitePbSeIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10Keilite(Fe2+,Mg)SIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10AlabanditeMnSIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10NiningeriteMgSIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10GalenaPbSIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10AltaitePbTeIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10OldhamiteCaSIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.15bHypercinnabarHgSHex.

Fluorescence of CinnabarHide

Other InformationHide

Thermal Behaviour:
transition to the β phase (metacinnabar) occurs in the 673-698 K range
Special Storage/
Display Requirements:
Some cinnabar that contains trace amounts of chlorine will darken with exposure to sunlight (photosensitive).
Health Risks:
As with all mineral specimens it is always safer to wash your hands after handling.

Try to avoid inhaling dust and use caution when breaking.

Do not heat in an unventilated environment - emits toxic Hg fumes.

Mercury sulfide is, however, relatively insoluble and toxicity of the pure material is low.

Be aware that cinnabar from some localities, especially samples which are 'massive' rather than crystalline, may contain traces of native mercury, and this is far more easily absorbed by the body.

Crystals of cinnabar on calcite/dolomite from China, for example, are safe to handle.
Industrial Uses:
Principal ore of mercury. Used as a cosmetic pigment in ancient times.

Cinnabar in petrologyHide

An essential component of rock names highlighted in red, an accessory component in rock names highlighted in green.

    Internet Links for CinnabarHide

    References for CinnabarHide

    Reference List:

    Localities for CinnabarHide

    Showing 3,124 localities.

    This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
    Hide all sections | Show all sections

    Locality ListShow

    This section is currently hidden. Click the show button to view.
     
    and/or  
    Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
    Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
    Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
    To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
    Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 1, 2026 09:28:14 Page updated: August 21, 2026 15:32:44
    Go to top of page