Image: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mindat.org/user-12050.html#0">Carles Millan</a> (CC BY 3.0)

hexagonaluncommonVanadates (Apatite group)

Vanadinite

Pb5(VO4)3Cl

This specimen features deep red, hexagonal prismatic crystals of vanadinite, often with a tabular or barrel-shaped habit, growing on a matrix of white baryte.

Vanadinite Physical Properties

Mohs Hardness

2.5

Crystal System

hexagonal

Luster

vitreous

Streak Color

yellowish-white

Cleavage

none

Fracture

conchoidal to uneven

Specific Gravity

6.8

Colors

red, orange-red, brownish-red, yellow, brown

Transparency

translucent to opaque

Type Locality

ACF Mine (incl. Coud'a shaft; Coudia shaft), Mibladene, Upper Moulouya lead district, Midelt, Khénifra Province, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco

Mineral Group

Vanadates (Apatite group)

Uses

minor ore of vanadium, collector's mineral

Associated Minerals

baryte, wulfenite, limonite, cerussite, anglesite

Rarity

uncommon

Geological Context

Vanadinite is a secondary mineral that forms in the oxidation zone of lead deposits, resulting from the alteration of primary lead minerals in the presence of vanadium-bearing solutions.

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