Fool's gold is the common name for which mineral?

Fool's gold is the common name for which mineral?

• A. Hematite
• B. Magnetite
• C. Iron pyrite
• D. Chalcopyrite

Answer: (C)

Fool’s gold comes from minerals that resemble real gold in appearance, so the test is about distinguishing look-alikes from the real precious metal. The mineral that matches this famous illusion is iron pyrite. It has a brassy-yellow color and a shiny metallic luster that can easily fool someone digging for gold. Yet it isn’t gold: pyrite is harder and brittle, with a Mohs hardness around 6–6.5, and it leaves a greenish-black streak rather than a gold-colored one. Gold is much softer and malleable, and it leaves a yellow streak, helping you tell the difference. Other minerals like hematite, magnetite, or chalcopyrite can be metallic and colorful too, but they don’t share the classic fool’s-gold look and the same set of distinguishing properties as pyrite.

Fool’s gold comes from minerals that resemble real gold in appearance, so the test is about distinguishing look-alikes from the real precious metal. The mineral that matches this famous illusion is iron pyrite. It has a brassy-yellow color and a shiny metallic luster that can easily fool someone digging for gold. Yet it isn’t gold: pyrite is harder and brittle, with a Mohs hardness around 6–6.5, and it leaves a greenish-black streak rather than a gold-colored one. Gold is much softer and malleable, and it leaves a yellow streak, helping you tell the difference. Other minerals like hematite, magnetite, or chalcopyrite can be metallic and colorful too, but they don’t share the classic fool’s-gold look and the same set of distinguishing properties as pyrite.