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Formula: Pb2Sb5+2O7
Antimonate,
stibiconite group
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 4.6 to 8.4 measured, 6.8 calculated
Hardness: 4 to 4½
Streak: White, yellowish white
Colour: Yellow, yellow-brown, brown, white, grey, greenish; colourless to yellow and brown in transmitted light
Solubility: Dissolves in nitric acid, leaving a residue of antimonic oxide; also dissolves in hydrochloric acid,
leaving a residue of lead chloride.
Common impurities: As,Bi,Ca,Fe,Na
Environments:
Bindheimite is a secondary mineral occurring in
the oxidised zones
of antimony-bearing lead deposits;
it is a frequent
oxidation product of
lead-antimony-sulphosalts
(Mindat, Webmin, HOM).
Associated minerals include galena,
pyrite,
chalcopyrite,
tetrahedrite,
jamesonite, bournonite,
zinkenite, cerussite,
plumbojarosite,
argentojarosite, minium,
massicot, quartz,
baryte, calcite and
dolomite
(HOM, Mindat).
Bindheimite may alter to massicot, and
pseudomorphically replaces
jamesonite, tetrahedrite,
galena, bournonite and
zinkenite
(Mindat).
Localities
At Kintore, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, bindheimite is very rare, but has been found in massive
galena in garnet
sandstone
(AJM 3.1.31).
At Kingsgate, New England district, New South Wales, Australia, bindheimite has been found as a coating on a
quartz crystal
(AJM 10.1.8).
At the Mineral Hill field, central New South Wales, Australia, bindheimite forms by oxidation of a
galena-tetrahedrite
assemblage, and occurs associated with massicot,
osarizawaite,
pyromorphite,
quartz, azurite,
malachite, cerussite,
plumbojarosite,
plumbogummite and
kaolinite
(AJM 11.2.109).
At the Platt, Comet and Adelaide mines, Dundas, Tasmania, Australia, bindheimite occurs intermixed with
crocoite
(AJM 12.2.79).
At the ShangriLa Pb-Ag-Au-Cu mine at Kimberley, Western Australia, bindheimite is a
secondary mineral in the oxidised zone.
Bindheimite-malachite boxworks occur on some specimens, and may
have formed
after tetrahedrite
(AJM 16.1.20).
At the Northampton lead-copper field. Western Australia, bindheimite has been found replacing
tetrahedrite in a
cerussite-rich
matrix, intergrown with cerussite
(AJM 18.1.42).
At Wet Swine Gill, Coombe Height, Caldbeck, Allerdale, Cumbria, England, UK, a specimen has been found with veins
of natie antimony in association with coatings of yellow
bindheimite
(AESS)
At Arm O'Grain, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, bindheimite has been found as powdery crusts in cavities
in quartz veins
(JRS 9.47).
At Balliway Rigg, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, bindheimite occurs as powdery encrustations in cavities
in a quartz-galena matrix, with
cerussite, caledonite,
leadhillite and malachite.
It is quite common in cavities in quartz veins near partially
oxidised galena
(JRS 11.8).
At Brae Fell mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, coatings of bindheimite, often
associated with cerussite and sometimes with
anglesite, are common in cavities in
quartz, mainly from the lower dump
(JRS 9.40).
At the Driggith and Sandbed mines, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, bindheimite is reasonably common in
cavities in
quartz veins containing partly oxidised
galena and cerussite
(JRS 9.15)
At Ingray Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, powdery bindheimite is an occasional associate of partly
oxidised
galena and cerussite
(JRS 12.37).
At Red Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, earthy coatings of bindheimite are common in
cavities generated by
the oxidation of galena. It is commonly associated with
cerussite, anglesite,
susannite and leadhillite
(JRS 11.34).
At Short Grain, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, thin, earthy bindheimite crusts line many of the cavities
in quartz and baryte that were once
occupied by galena. It may occur with almost any of the white
lead minerals and is most often associated with
cerussite. It is probably formed by leaching of
lead during the oxidation of galena,
which appears to be the
principal host for antimony in the vein
(JRS 12.51).
At Silver Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, bindheimite has been found as a powdery crust in cavities
in quartz veins containing partly oxidised
galena, cerussite and
pyromorphite
(JRS 8(2).89).
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