Bindheimite is a lead-antimony oxide typically found as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zones of lead deposits. It is most famous for occurring as yellow to orange earthy masses or as pseudomorphs, retaining the fibrous or acicular shapes of the original minerals it replaced.
Is this bindheimite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch bindheimite with a known reference. Bindheimite sits at Mohs 4-4.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white, yellowish white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: resinous, dull, earthy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, greenish yellow, green, brownish white, grayish white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: earthy, encrustations.
Often confused with
Bindheimite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside bindheimite
Minerals reported to co-occur with bindheimite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₂Sb₂O₇
- Mohs hardness
- 4-4.5
- Density
- 4.6-5.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White, yellowish white
- Luster
- Resinous, dull, earthy
- Transparency
- Translucent to opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Earthy, encrustations
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Common in the oxidized portions of antimony-bearing lead deposits
Where rockhounds find bindheimite
Classic worldwide localities
- Montezuma and other mines, Arabia district, Pershing Co., Nevada, USA
- Coeur d’Alene district, Shoshone Co., Idaho, USA
- Cerro Gordo, Inyo Co., California, USA
- Nerchinsk, Siberia, Russia
- Oberzeiring, Styria, and Hüttenberg, Carinthia, Austria
- Camerata Cornello, Val Brembana, and at Gorno, Val Seriana, Lombardy, Italy
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Common in the oxidized portions of antimony-bearing lead deposits. If you start seeing galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: earthy, encrustations. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify bindheimite?+
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Is bindheimite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like bindheimite?+
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Find bindheimite on the map
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