Vanadinite on Matrix Raw Specimen

Vanadinite Raw Specimen from Morocco.

Approx Dimensions: 3x5cm

Approx Weight: 26g

Vanadinite is a secondary mineral. It does not form from cooling magma, but rather through the chemical alteration of pre-existing minerals near the Earth's surface.

The process begins in the upper (oxidized) zones of lead-bearing mineral deposits, such as galena (lead sulfide).
Oxygen-rich rainwater and groundwater percolate through the rock, weathering the primary minerals and leaching vanadium out of surrounding wall-rock silicates, shales, or igneous rocks. The dissolved lead, vanadium, oxygen, and chlorine ions mix in solution. As the solution concentrates—typically aided by slow evaporation in arid or semi-arid climates—lead chlorovanadate (Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl) precipitates out and crystallizes.