Mineral
Anglesite
PbSO₄Anglezit
A heavy lead sulfate mineral with a diamond-like shine that grows as a crust around galena; it is named after the island of Anglesey in Wales.
- Popularly: Ore and raw material
- Ore
- Handle with care
- Important in Türkiye
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In short
Anglesite is a mineral made of lead, sulfur and oxygen (lead sulfate, PbSO₄). It mostly forms colourless, white or yellowish crystals with a diamond-like shine and is very heavy. It forms as lead minerals such as galena are broken down by air and water, and it often wraps around galena crystals like a crust. It is named after the island of Anglesey in Wales, where William Withering found it in 1783.
Photos
How does it form?
Anglesite is a secondary mineral: it forms near the surface, in the upper parts of lead veins that meet air and rainwater, as galena (lead sulfide) is oxidised. It is therefore often seen with other secondary minerals such as cerussite, malachite, pyromorphite, gypsum and sulfur. In some specimens it grows in bands around a galena crystal, wrapping the core.
What is it used for?
- Lead ore: Where galena has weathered it has been mined for lead, notably in Australia and Mexico.
- Collecting: Its lustrous, transparent and sometimes yellow or blue crystals are favourites of mineral collectors.
- Jewellery: The stones cut from time to time are for collectors; being soft and brittle it is not suited to everyday jewellery.
In Türkiye
In Türkiye anglesite is seen as a mineral of the oxidised zone in lead–zinc deposits. According to a study by Temur published in the MTA Journal, in the Bolkar Mountains zinc–lead deposits, about 35 km southeast of Ulukışla in Niğde, the main minerals of the oxidised-zone ores include smithsonite, anglesite, cerussite and hemimorphite.
What determines its value?
As an ore, anglesite is gathered together with galena in the oxidised zone of lead deposits; its value depends on the lead content, the size of the deposit and the cost of mining and processing. Collectors look for clear, lustrous, large and undamaged crystals, vivid colours such as yellow or blue, neat associations with a galena core, and specimens from well-known places such as Touissit, Tsumeb or Sardinia. Because it is very soft and brittle, cut anglesite is made only for collectors.
This information is educational, not buying, selling or investment advice. Value varies enormously with quality and treatment.
How to recognise it
- 1
It is very heavy (specific gravity about 6.3): more than twice as heavy as a piece of quartz of the same size.
- 2
Its colourless, white, grey or yellowish crystals have a diamond-like (adamantine) lustre, sometimes resinous on the surface.
- 3
Its hardness is 2.5–3 and it is brittle: a steel knife scratches it easily.
- 4
It often forms a grey-white crust or bands around galena cubes; the inside is lead-grey, the outside pale.
- 5
Its crystals are elongated, with a diamond-shaped cross-section and often fine lengthwise striations.
Fakes and imitations
What shops usually don’t tell you:
- Cerussite is also heavy, diamond-bright and often colourless; it occurs together with anglesite in the same deposits and the two are hard to tell apart by eye. A laboratory analysis is needed for certain identification.
Safety
Anglesite contains lead, a toxic metal that builds up in the body and can permanently damage the brain and nervous system, especially in children. According to the World Health Organization, there is no level of lead exposure that is known to be without harmful effects. Always wash your hands after touching anglesite and keep specimens out of children’s reach. Never put anglesite in your mouth, grind it, sand it or heat it, and do not breathe its dust. Never put it in drinking water.
Myths and misconceptions
MythAnglesite and cerussite are the same mineral.
FactBoth form in the weathered upper part of lead deposits, often side by side, and look alike; but anglesite is lead sulfate (PbSO₄) and cerussite is lead carbonate (PbCO₃). Both contain lead and are toxic.
MythAnglesite is a durable jewellery stone because it is bright and colourful.
FactIts hardness is only 2.5–3, it is brittle and it contains lead. It is cut from time to time, but being so soft it soon scratches and breaks in jewellery; cut anglesite is a collector’s stone.
Did you know?
Anglesite was first noticed in 1783 by the physician and naturalist William Withering at the Parys copper mine on Anglesey. The same Withering gave his name to witherite, the barium carbonate mineral.
Its crystals can grow to 50 cm; the Handbook of Mineralogy lists very large anglesite crystals from the Tsumeb and Kombat mines in Namibia.
Some anglesite specimens glow yellow under ultraviolet (UV) light.
Where is it found?
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- Parys Mountain, Anglesey, Wales · Type localityThe place that gave the mineral its name: William Withering found it at the Parys copper mine in 1783
- Monteponi and Montevecchio, near Iglesias, Sardinia, Italy · Historic sourceOld lead–zinc mines giving white-grey anglesite crystals around a core of galena
- Tsumeb, Oshikoto, Namibia · Major depositThe Handbook of Mineralogy lists very large anglesite crystals
- Touissit, Oujda area, Morocco · Major depositMines the Handbook of Mineralogy lists for fine anglesite crystals; they yield crystals with a mirror-like lustre
- Bleiberg, Carinthia, Austria · Historic sourceA Carinthian lead–zinc district listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy for anglesite
- Leadhills, Lanarkshire, Scotland · Historic sourceA Scottish village known for lead mining; the Handbook of Mineralogy lists it for anglesite
- Matlock, Derbyshire, England · Historic sourceDerbyshire places (Matlock and Cromford) listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy for well-crystallised anglesite
- Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia · Major depositOne of the world’s largest lead–zinc–silver deposits; large anglesite crystals
- Bolkar Mountains (Ulukışla), Niğde, Türkiye · Known localityAnglesite, cerussite and smithsonite occur in the oxidised zone of the Bolkar Mountains zinc–lead deposits
Locations are approximate to protect sites. Red dots mark places in Türkiye. Open in the big map →
Frequently asked questions
What is anglesite?
Anglesite is a mineral made of lead, sulfur and oxygen (lead sulfate, PbSO₄). It mostly forms colourless, white or yellowish crystals with a diamond-like shine and is very heavy. It forms as lead minerals such as galena are broken down by air and water, and it often wraps around galena crystals like a crust. It is named after the island of Anglesey in Wales, where William Withering found it in 1783.
What is anglesite used for?
Lead ore: Where galena has weathered it has been mined for lead, notably in Australia and Mexico. Collecting: Its lustrous, transparent and sometimes yellow or blue crystals are favourites of mineral collectors. Jewellery: The stones cut from time to time are for collectors; being soft and brittle it is not suited to everyday jewellery.
How hard is anglesite?
It has a hardness of 2.5–3 on the Mohs scale. A fingernail cannot scratch it, but a steel knife can. Its specific gravity is 6.3–6.4 g/cm³.
Where is anglesite found?
Its best-known localities: Parys Mountain, Anglesey, Wales; Tsumeb, Oshikoto, Namibia; Touissit, Oujda area, Morocco; Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia; Monteponi and Montevecchio, near Iglesias, Sardinia, Italy.
Where is anglesite found in Türkiye?
Known localities in Türkiye: Bolkar Mountains (Ulukışla), Niğde, Türkiye.
How can you tell if anglesite is real?
It is very heavy (specific gravity about 6.3): more than twice as heavy as a piece of quartz of the same size. Its colourless, white, grey or yellowish crystals have a diamond-like (adamantine) lustre, sometimes resinous on the surface. Its hardness is 2.5–3 and it is brittle: a steel knife scratches it easily. Cerussite is also heavy, diamond-bright and often colourless; it occurs together with anglesite in the same deposits and the two are hard to tell apart by eye. A laboratory analysis is needed for certain identification.
Is anglesite valuable?
On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 4 of nine: Fine dimension stone and ore. As an ore, anglesite is gathered together with galena in the oxidised zone of lead deposits; its value depends on the lead content, the size of the deposit and the cost of mining and processing. Collectors look for clear, lustrous, large and undamaged crystals, vivid colours such as yellow or blue, neat associations with a galena core, and specimens from well-known places such as Touissit, Tsumeb or Sardinia. Because it is very soft and brittle, cut anglesite is made only for collectors.
Is anglesite dangerous?
Anglesite contains lead, a toxic metal that builds up in the body and can permanently damage the brain and nervous system, especially in children. According to the World Health Organization, there is no level of lead exposure that is known to be without harmful effects. Always wash your hands after touching anglesite and keep specimens out of children’s reach. Never put anglesite in your mouth, grind it, sand it or heat it, and do not breathe its dust. Never put it in drinking water.
Sources
- Anglesite · Wikipedia
- Handbook of Mineralogy: Anglesite · Mineralogical Society of America
- Witherite · Wikipedia
- Bolkardağı (Ulukışla-Niğde) Yöresi Çinko-Kurşun Yataklarının Petrografik İncelemesi (S. Temur), MTA Dergisi 112, 71–84 · MTA Genel Müdürlüğü, 1991
- Lead poisoning (fact sheet) · World Health Organization
External links
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