Cochise College          Photos of Minerals

                          Geology Home Page                

                          Roger Weller, geology instructor

                          [email protected]
                                  copyright 2006-R.Weller
 

Mineral Information on:
 pyromorphite

Chemical Group:   phosphate

Chemical Formula:   (PbCl)Pb4(PO4)3

Color:  green, yellow, brown, wax yellow, orange-yellow, grayish-white, milk-white                                                                          

Streak:  white, sometimes with a yellow tint

Transparency:  sub-transparent to sub-translucent

Luster:  resinous

 

Hardness:  3.5 to 4         Specific Gravity:    6.5 to 7.1

Cleavage:  only in traces           Fracture: subconchoidal, uneven

 

Crystal Forms:  Hexagonal-tripyramidal
     Tends to form tapering, parallel growths of hexagonal prisms.
      Mineral habits include: reniform, botryoidal, fibrous, and granular

Mineral Associations:  a secondary mineral in lead deposits

Identifying Characteristics:

Uses: lead ore

Occurrences: 
USA OCCURRENCES:
Idaho
     Bunker Hill Mine, Kellogg
North Carolina
Pennsylvania

WORLD-WIDE OCCURRENCES:
Germany
     Rosenburg Mine, Braubach
Australia
     Broken Hill Mine
     Brown's Prospect, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory
France
     Farges Mine

Toxicity:      when-swallowed- high          when inhaled- high

Additional Information: