Pyromorphite on Galena

The famous MMM mine at Broken Hill in Australia worked the line of lode orebody and is situated within the city of Broken Hill towards the north-east.  Pyromorphite is one of this mine’s most iconic species and this particularly well-crystallised miniature is unusual and rare in that the Pyromorphite sits on a matrix of Galena.  The overall colour of the specimen is dark, because the Pyromorphite is that of the clove-brown variety.  The Pyromorphite crystals measure to 2.5 cm tall and are typically a dark clove terminating with a much lighter greyish clove pinacoid.  The prisms taper slightly towards their terminations and are generally heavily coated with small acicular Pyromorphite crystals projecting out forming a cactus-like habit.  This is a magnificent specimen from the MMM Broken Hill mine, a specimen of museum quality without any doubt.