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Anglesite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Anglesite
Formula:
PbSO4
Colour:
Colorless to white, often tinted grey, yellow, green or blue; colourless in transmitted light.
Lustre:
Adamantine, Vitreous, Resinous
Hardness:
2½ - 3
Specific Gravity:
6.37 - 6.39
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Member of:
Name:
Named "vitriol of lead" in 1783 by William Withering (1741-1799) in his "Outlines of Mineralogy" (a translation of the original by Torbern Bergman (1735-1784)).
Named "anglésine" in 1832 by François Sulpice Beudant (1787-1850) for the type locality, the Parys Mine on the Island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in Wales, U.K.
Later renamed to anglesite.
Named "anglésine" in 1832 by François Sulpice Beudant (1787-1850) for the type locality, the Parys Mine on the Island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in Wales, U.K.
Later renamed to anglesite.
Type Locality:
Baryte Group.
Along with cerussite, the most common secondary lead mineral.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Anglesite.
Along with cerussite, the most common secondary lead mineral.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Anglesite.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
233
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:233:2
IMA Classification of Anglesite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Pb2+S6+O4
Classification of Anglesite
7.AD.35
7 : SULFATES (selenates, tellurates, chromates, molybdates, wolframates)
A : Sulfates (selenates, etc.) without additional anions, without H2O
D : With only large cations
7 : SULFATES (selenates, tellurates, chromates, molybdates, wolframates)
A : Sulfates (selenates, etc.) without additional anions, without H2O
D : With only large cations
Dana 7th ed.:
28.3.1.3
28.3.1.3
28 : ANHYDROUS ACID AND NORMAL SULFATES
3 : AXO4
28 : ANHYDROUS ACID AND NORMAL SULFATES
3 : AXO4
25.7.3
25 : Sulphates
7 : Sulphates of Pb
25 : Sulphates
7 : Sulphates of Pb
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Ang | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
| Ang | Whitney & Evans (2010) | Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185–187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371 |
| Agl | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download |
Pronunciation of Anglesite
Pronunciation:
| Play | Recorded by | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jolyon Ralph | United Kingdom |
Physical Properties of Anglesite
Adamantine, Vitreous, Resinous
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent, Opaque
Colour:
Colorless to white, often tinted grey, yellow, green or blue; colourless in transmitted light.
Streak:
Colorless
Hardness:
2½ - 3 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Distinct/Good
Good on {001}, distinct on {201}; on {010} in traces.
Good on {001}, distinct on {201}; on {010} in traces.
Parting:
Translation gliding and twin gliding occur (as in baryte).
Fracture:
Conchoidal
Density:
6.37 - 6.39 g/cm3 (Measured) 6.36 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Anglesite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.878 nβ = 1.883 nγ = 1.895
2V:
Measured: 75° , Calculated: 68°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.017
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
relatively strong
Chemistry of Anglesite
Mindat Formula:
PbSO4
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Ba,Cu
Crystallography of Anglesite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Pnma
Cell Parameters:
a = 8.482(2) Å, b = 5.398(2) Å, c = 6.959(2) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.571 : 1 : 1.289
Unit Cell V:
318.62 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Crystals frequently thin to thick tabular {001}, commonly with {210}, {101} and rhomboidal in outline. Also extended [100] or [010] at times. Prismatic [001] with large {210} and vertically striated; prismatic [100], with large {011}; stout prismatic [010], with {101}, {102}; tabular {100}; equant or pyramidal with {111}, {211} or otherwise. {100} and {210} commonly striated [001]. Massive; granular to compact; nodular; stalactitic.
Twinning:
None observed.
Crystallographic forms of Anglesite
Crystal Atlas:
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Anglesite no.2 - {101} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.3 - {101} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.4 - {101} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.48 - {011} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.50 - {001} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.76 - {111} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.102 - {410} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.160 - {101} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.166 - {102} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.169 - {102} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.177 - {210} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Anglesite no.402 - {111} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by
www.smorf.nl.
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Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0018845 | Anglesite | Antao S M (2012) Structural trends for celestite (SrSO4), anglesite (PbSO4), and barite (BaSO4): confirmation of expected variations within SO4 groups American Mineralogist 97 661-665 | 2012 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
| 0005558 | Anglesite | Jacobsen S D, Smyth J R, Swope R J, Downs R T (1998) Rigid-body character of the SO4 groups in celestine, anglesite and barite The Canadian Mineralogist 36 1053-1060 |  | 1998 | 0 | 293 | |
| 0000665 | Anglesite | Miyake M, Minato I, Morikawa H, Iwai S I (1978) Crystal structure and sulphate force constants of barite, celesite, and anglesite American Mineralogist 63 506-510 | | 1978 | 0 | 293 | |
Touissit, Touissit-Bou Beker mining district, Jerada Province, Oriental Region, Morocco