Pyromorphite A minor phosphate ore of lead it often grows as hexagonal barrels or globular botryoida
PyromorphiteA minor phosphate ore of lead it often grows as hexagonal barrels or globular botryoidal masses, and it is closely related to two other minerals we have covered in the past, the lead arsenate mimetite (http://tinyurl.com/moobdfd) and the lead vanadate vanadinite (http://tinyurl.com/lny2nhb). These three can resemble each other very closely, to the point where geochemistry can be needed to tell them apart.Separated from its cousins in 1784, it was named in 1813 after the Greek for fire form, as it recrystallises into flame shapes when melted. Before that it had been known under a plethora of names in different regions. Common colours are green, yellow and brown, and like all lead minerals it is dense, with a specific gravity of 7 (anything over 4 is quite high in the mineral world).It forms in the oxidised zone of lead deposits, where interaction with oxygenated groundwater has transformed the initial reduced sulphide minerals in the upper part of the ore body. Famous localities include the Rhineland of Germany, Correze in the Massif Central of France, Spain, Australia, China, MExico, the USA and the English district of Cumbria.The 4.5 x 2.7 x 2.5 cm beauty in the photo was mined in China.LozImage credit: Joe Budd/Rob Lavinsky/iRocks.comhttp://www.mindat.org/min-3320.htmlhttp://www.minerals.net/mineral/pyromorphite.aspxhttp://www.galleries.com/Pyromorphitehttp://www.dakotamatrix.com/mineralpedia/18/pyromorphite -- source link
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