3.2" Bright Orange Crocoite Crystal Cluster with Cerussite - Tasmania

Crocoite is a rare, brilliant red-orange mineral consisting of lead chromate. It was first discovered in Russia and has since only been found in only a few other localities around the world. The crystals often form as long, slender prisms arranged in dense clusters.

The Adelaide Mine in Tasmania, Australia is undoubtedly the world’s most famous producer of crocoite specimens. While the mine has been worked over the last few decades, only a small number of pockets of top-quality crocoite have been found. One pocket was located in the 1970s, another in the 1990s, and most of the recent material is coming from a single large pocket found in 2010.

Cerussite is a lead-carbonate mineral with the chemical formula PbCO3, and is an important ore of lead. It is a common weathering product of galena, explaining why it is typically extracted from oxidized zones of lead ore deposits. It can form into a variety of different structures, sometimes in fibrous patterns and other times in granular aggregations, though it generally forms vitreous pseudo-hexagonal crystals. Its colors vary depending on composition and structure: it is most commonly colorless, white, grey and green-tinted.