Endlichite
Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Archaeodontosaurus" title="User:Archaeodontosaurus">Didier Descouens</a> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mineral NameEndlichite
Chemical FormulaPb5(VO4,AsO4)3Cl
Mohs Hardness3
Crystal Systemhexagonal
Lusterresinous
Streak Colorwhite to yellowish-brown
Cleavagenone
Fractureconchoidal to uneven
Specific Gravity6.8
Colorsyellowish-brown, orange-brown
Transparencytranslucent to opaque
Type LocalityTouissit, Touissit District, Oujda-Angad Province, Morocco
Mineral GroupVanadates
Usescollector, minor ore of lead and vanadium
Associated Mineralsdescloizite, wulfenite, cerussite, anglesite, limonite
Rarityuncommon
Description
The specimen displays numerous small, yellowish-brown to orange-brown hexagonal prismatic crystals of Endlichite, densely covering a dark matrix, likely descloizite, which is set on a reddish-brown host rock.
Geological Context
Endlichite is a secondary mineral that forms in the oxidized zone of lead-bearing hydrothermal deposits, resulting from the alteration of primary lead minerals in the presence of vanadium and arsenic.
