Cochise College Photos of Minerals

Roger Weller, geology instructor

[email protected]
copyright 2006-R.Weller

Mineral Information on:
vanadinite

Chemical Group: vanadate

Chemical Formula: Pb₅Cl(VO₄)₃

Color: deep ruby red, light-brownish yellow, straw yellow, reddish brown

Streak: white or yellowish

Hardness: 2.75 to 3 Specific Gravity: 6.66 to 7.10

Fracture: uneven to flat conchoidal

Crystal Forms: Hexagonal system
     Crystals are prismatic.
     Vanadinite commonly forms as cavernous 6-sided prisms and parallel growth.

Mineral Associations:

Identifying Characteristics: Bright red hexagonal prisms or cavernous crystals

Uses: ore of vanadium; mineral specimens

Occurrences:   Found in altered lead deposits

USA OCCURRENCES:
Arizona
     Apache mine, Globe
     Old Yuma mine, Tucson Mountains
     Castle Dome district, north of Yuma
     Mammoth-St. Anthony mine, Tiger near san San Manuel
     Red Cloud mine
New Mexico
     Hillsboro and Lake Valley districts
     Bear Canyon district, Dona Ana County
     Georgetown district, Grant County
Hermosa district, Sierra County

WORLD_WIDE OCCURRENCES:
Morocco
     Mibladen
     Taouz
     Djebel Mahseur, near Oudjha
Mexico
     Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua
     San Luis Potosi
     Los Lamentos, Chihuahua

Toxicity:      when-swallowed- very high       when inhaled- very high

Additional Information: Do not clean specimens with hydrochloric acid; HCl dissolves vanadinite.