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Formula: K2Pb(SO4)2
Anhydrous sulphate, palmierite group,
palmierite supergroup
Crystal System: Trigonal
Specific gravity: 4.363 measured, 4.33 calculated
Hardness: 2
Colour: Colourless, white; colourless in transmitted light
Solubility: Rapidly decomposed by water, leaving a PbSO4 residue
Environments
Palmierite is commonly found as an alteration product in man-made pigments and smelting residues, as well as
occurring naturally in fumeroles
(Mindat).
Localities
At the type locality, Mount Vesuvius, Somma-Vesuvius Complex, Naples, Campania, Italy, palmierite is a rare
fumarolic sublimate, associated with aphthitalite,
ferrinatrite, jarosite,
euchlorine and hematite
(HOM).
Palmierite from Mount Vesuvius - Image
At the Yadovitaya and Arsenatnaya fumaroles, Second scoria cone, Northern Breakthrough, Great Fissure eruption,
Tolbachik Volcanic field, Milkovsky District, Kamchatka Krai, Russia, palmierite is a common mineral.
In encrustations of the Yadovitaya fumarole, it is the lead-bearing mineral and is
associated with hematite, piypite,
alumoklyuchevskite,
steklite, sanidine,
lammerite, mcbirneyite,
starovaite, lyonsite,
pseudolyonsite, averievite,
cupromolybdite, corundum and
minerals of the
langbeinite–calciolangbeinite,
paralammerite–borisenkoite,
bradaczekite–zincobradaczekite
and rutile–tripuhyite series.
At the Arsenatnaya fumarole, palmierite is the major host to lead in the
middle, polymineralic zone. In the upper sulphate-rich zone, the main
lead-bearing mineral is anglesite. At
the Arsenatnaya fumarole, palmierite is closely associated with different
arsenates including lammerite,
paralammerite,
ericlaxmanite, johillerite,
nickenichite, bradaczekite,
urusovite, alarsite and
pharmazincite, as well as
hematite, tenorite,
copper-rich gahnite,
fluoborite, native gold,
anhydrite and
krasheninnikovite. Other sulphates include those of the
aphthitalite group and the
langbeinite–calciolangbeinite
series; these overgrow palmierite
and are thus paragenetically later than it.
In both fumaroles, palmierite usually forms hexagonal or trigonal lamellar or tabular crystals, up to 0.2 mm
(rarely up to 1 mm) across. Palmierite is transparent or semitransparent, colourless, with a strong vitreous
lustre. In some samples, an epitaxial overgrowth of
aphthitalite group minerals on palmierite was observed
(CJMP 61.609-622).
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