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. Pyromorphite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Pyromorphite typically shows a resinous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow, brown, orange, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: hexagonal prisms, barrel-shaped crystals, crusts, botryoidal.
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 on Pyromorphite and adamantine on Mimetite.
How to tell apart: Apatite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5 vs. 3.5-4); luster reads resinous 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
- 6.5-7.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Resinous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Hexagonal Prisms, Barrel-shaped Crystals, Crusts, Botryoidal
- Cleavage
- Indistinct
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of Lead
- Host rock
- Oxidized Zones of Lead Deposits
- Typical price
- $20-100 for thumbnails, $200-2000+ for display cabinet specimens
Where rockhounds find pyromorphite
7 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Bad Ems, Germany
- Daoping, China
- Broken Hill, Australia
- Coeur d'Alene, USA
- Les Farges, France
Field-hunting tip
Look in oxidized zones of lead deposits country, the host setting where pyromorphite typically forms. If you start seeing galena, cerussite, wulfenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a hexagonal prisms, barrel-shaped crystals, crusts, botryoidal habit, so 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.
Common questions
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Find pyromorphite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
