Cerussite crystals (4.0 × 3.0 × 2.0 cm) from Nakhlak mine, Anarak, Isfahan, Iran — Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cerussite
Also known as: White lead ore.
Lead carbonate — 'white lead ore' — an important secondary lead mineral named from the Latin for white lead.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cerussite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the carbonate class, with the chemical formula Pb(CO₃).
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pmcn). It is a member of the Aragonite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 3–3.5; specific gravity 6.55; typically colorless or white or gray or blue or yellow; White streak; Adamantine, tending toward vitreous, resinous luster; refractive index 1.984; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Cer, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1845.
Common in the oxidized zone of lead deposits, where it may constitute an important ore.
It is found associated with Anglesite, smithsonite, malachite, azurite, phosgenite, pyromorphite, galena.
The name comes from the Latin cerussa, for white lead, synthetic lead carbonate.
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