Cerussite
Species
Uncommon · PbCO₃
Lead carbonate formed where galena meets carbonated water, so heavy that a specimen surprises the hand. Its adamantine lustre and extreme dispersion give cut stones more fire than diamond, and far too little hardness to wear.
Identity
- Formula
- PbCO₃
- Chemical class
- Carbonate
- Mineral group
- Aragonite
- Also known as
- White lead ore
- Ore of
- Lead
- Crafting Table colours
- White, Yellow, Black
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Habits
- Tabular, Prismatic, Granular
- Fracture
- Conchoidal
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 6.58 g/cm³
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Colors
- colorless, white, gray, pale yellow, black
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Transparent, Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Hydrothermal, Sedimentary
- Associated minerals
- Galena, Malachite, Smithsonite, Pyromorphite
- Found in
- Oxidized zone (gossan)
- Geography
- Namibia, Australia, Morocco
Classification
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Gem quality
- Yes
Where to find it in Hearth
- Worked as
- Lead
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Cerussite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- Cerussite. Gemdat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
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