Clear Vanadinite Crystal

Clear Vanadinite Crystal From Arizona
Clear Vanadinite Crystal From Arizona. Collection and photo: Stephan Wolfsried


Vanadinite
It is one of the main industrial ores of the metal vanadium and a minor source of lead. A dense, brittle mineral, it is usually found in the form of red hexagonal crystals. Vanadinite is mainly formed in the gossans of lead bearing deposits associated with other vanadium minerals (mottramite, descloizite, etc...) and lead minerals (cerussite, anglesite, etc...). 
 
Vanadium comes from the oxidation of vanadiferous sulphides or from the host rocks by leaching of silicates. It occurs in short hexagonal prisms and sometimes skeletal. Fibrous or globular facies are rare. Its bright red to orange-red color turns brown in the presence of arsenic (endlichite). Due to its bright color, vanadinite is a sought-after mineral for collectors and can also be used as a lead or vanadium ore, since vanadium is mainly used as a hardener for steel in the iron and steel industry.

Formula: Pb5(VO4)3Cl
System: Hexagonal
Colour: Orange-red, red-brown, ...
Lustre: Sub-Adamantine, Resinous
Hardness: 2½ - 3


From: Hamburg Mine (Hamburg claim; Hamburg prospect; Blake), Silver District, Trigo Mts, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA



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