Pyromorphite is a highly sought-after secondary mineral found in the oxidation zones of lead ore deposits. It is best known by collectors for its vibrant, barrel-shaped hexagonal prisms and its signature waxy or resinous luster, appearing most often in shades of bright apple-green to yellow-orange.
Is this pyromorphite?
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 pyromorphite with a known reference. Pyromorphite sits at Mohs 3.5-4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: resinous to subadamantine.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow, brown, orange, gray, grayish white, yellowish red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: globular, prismatic, reniform.
Often confused with
Pyromorphite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads resinous to subadamantine on Pyromorphite and subresinous to subadamantine on Vanadinite.
How to tell apart: Apatite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5 vs. 3.5-4); luster reads resinous to subadamantine on Pyromorphite and vitreous on Apatite.
Often found alongside pyromorphite
Minerals reported to co-occur with pyromorphite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5-4
- Density
- 7.04 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Resinous to subadamantine
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Globular, prismatic, reniform
- Cleavage
- On {1011}, interrupted
- Fluorescence
- Yellow under LW UV
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of lead
- Host rock
- A secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of lead deposits; rarely a volcanic sublimate
Where rockhounds find pyromorphite
7 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Wheatley mines, Phoenixville, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, USA
- Bunker Hill and other mines, Kellogg, Coeur d’Alene district, Shoshone Co., Idaho, USA
- Friedrichssegen and other mines, near Bad Ems, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
- Příbram, Czech Republic
- Wheal Alfred, Phillack, in Cornwall, England
- Roughton Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of lead deposits; rarely a volcanic sublimate. If you start seeing cerussite, anglesite, smithsonite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: globular, prismatic, reniform. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Montana, Connecticut, Kentucky. Start trip planning there.
More pyromorphite photos
Common questions
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Find pyromorphite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
