Cerussite

Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.


Cerussite
PbCO₃ Orthorhombic



The best specimens that were produced came from the Broken Hill mines in Australia. Since the mining of the supergene zones occurred in the late 1800's to early 1900's, specimens are rarely available now. European localities were also mined out many years ago. Tsumeb, Namibia produced many fine groups and single crystals over the life of the mine. Numerous cerussite crystals on barite were found during the late 1900's. from the Touissit District in Morocco.

Cerussite is the most stable common lead mineral produced by weathering of galena bearing lead deposits. The majority of these deposits are of hydrothermal origin, but they also have been found in contact metamorphic deposits, Kuroko and Mississippi Valley type deposits. In the early phases of mining these lead deposits, masses of cerussite could be found in large enough amounts to become ore.

Cerussite is found as massive material, single crystals, V shaped twins and reticulated groups of twinned crystals. The "jackstraw" habit consists of numerous randomly oriented elongated crystals.




Australia
New South Wales, Broken Hill

The largest mass of cerussite was found in the Central mine as a mass several meters across consisting of reticulated white crystals. Generally crystals were white, but clear, cream, gray, wine-yellow, yellow-brown, smoky brown crystals are known. Some were also coated with yellow or bronze films. Reticulated groups up to 30cm were recovered. Also "arrowhead" twins up to 15cm were common. Long tapering crystals (swords) were found at the British mine (a 30cm crystal from the Block 14 property is in the Australian Museum).

10 cm	© 2003 John H. Betts

6 cm	© Greg Murray

Australia
Tasmania, Magnet Mine

1 cm	© Steve Sorrell

Australia
Tasmania, Comet Maestries Mine



Australia
Tasmania, Dundas Extended Mine



China
Guilin Prefecture, Daoping Mine

3 cm	© fabreminerals.com

Czech Republic
Bohemia, Příbram



France
Alsace, Champ Brècheté



Iran
Esfahan Province, Nakhlak Mine

4 cm	© Russell G. Rizzo

Ireland
Co. Galway,Tynagh Mine



Italy
Sardinia, Monteponi Mine

5 cm	© fabreminerals.com

Morocco
Er Rachidia Province, Taouz

6 cm	© fabreminerals.com

Morocco
Khénifra Province, Midelt

1.2 cm	©

Morocco
Khénifra Province, Mibladene

5 cm	© G. van der Veldt

Morocco
Khénifra Province, Mibladene, Mibladen Mine

14 cm	© jdehaye

Morocco
Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District

7 cm	© Kristalle and Crys

5 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

"Heart twin" 4 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

Morocco
Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District, Ourd Mekta Mine




Namibia
Tsumeb Mine

3 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

7 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

4 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

4 cm	© 2002 John H. Betts

6 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

5 cm	© Joseph A. Freilich

6 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

Slovakia
Košice Region, Gelnica - Cechy Mines



UK
England, Co. Durham, Redburn Mine

5 cm	© HW

USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Campbell Mine



USA
Arizona, Maricopa Co., S and O claims



USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine

w/ dioptase 4 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

USA
Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., Flux Mine

5 cm	© Rob Lavinsky

USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Bunker Hill Mine

2 cm	© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals

USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Monarch Mine

2 cm	© C. Stefano '09

USA
New Mexico, Doña Ana Co., Stevenson-Bennett Mine




Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2009 01:08PM by David Von Bargen.

Pentire Glaze Mine, Cornwall: [www.mindat.org]

Historic specimens (e.g. Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro) display crystals of more than 5 cm length. Information on the best specimens is found in Embrey & Symes: Minerals of Cornwall and Devon.

Peter,
Yes, I think that locality should be represented. I have just gone through my cerussite images and think I may have about 100 from various localities including from a couple of UK localities that I think might help the article. Ill try and get them scanned and uploaded sometime this month along with a couple hundred others.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Hello,

I will take some photos of my cerussites from Germany the next days.

At Schauinsland Mine near Freiburg, Black Forest, Germany, I've found some white prismatic ones up o several cm, the longest being 5 cm in length. They are from an underground collecting trip (done with the mine owner, so no illegal trip).

Regards,
Sebastian Möller