Crocoite
$49.95
Item number:
1
Crocoite From Adelaide Mine Tasmania Australia
Crocoite from the Adelaide Mine in Dundas, Tasmania, is celebrated globally as the finest and most abundant source of the mineral in the world. Known for its brilliant, glowing orange-red hue and needle-like crystal sprays, it was officially declared Tasmania’s state mineral in 2000.
Key Geological & Aesthetic Facts
- Mineral Composition: A rare lead chromate (PbCrO₄).
- Crystal Habit: Features highly lustrous, elongated, prismatic crystals that are often hollow and brittle ("jackstraw" habit).
- Geological Origin: Forms in the oxidized zones of lead ore deposits where groundwater carries chromium from surrounding Cambrian serpentinites into galena-bearing veins.
- Associated Minerals: Frequently found growing on dark limonite matrixes alongside secondary minerals like cerussite, dundasite, and pyromorphite.
Locality Context
Located just northeast of Zeehan on the rugged West Coast of Tasmania, the Adelaide Mine is probably the most prolific crocoite location on Earth. The mine has seen intermittent major crystal pocket discoveries over the past century, yielding both delicate "needle" sprays and highly sought-after, sharply terminated bipyramidal crystals.