Plumbogummite after Pyromorphite

specimen number:
2063261

location:
Laohuan Mine, Gongcheng Co., Guilin, Guangxi, China

description:
An attractive grouping of what were once yellow green prismatic crystals of pyromorphite measuring to 1.0 cm in height, these in the process of being replaced by blue plumbogummite. Classic material now for this Chinese locality. In good condition with minimal damage present. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. Collected around 2010 two 2012.

Located in the oxidized zones of lead-zinc deposits within carbonate rocks in Guangxi, China, the Laohuan Mine in Gongcheng County has become famous among mineral collectors since the early 2000s for producing world-class secondary lead minerals. Supergene alteration processes driven by phosphate-rich solutions interacting with primary galena led to the growth of bright green hexagonal pyromorphite crystals. Over time, shifting hydrothermal fluids introduced aluminum and phosphate, causing blue-to-green plumbogummite to gradually replace the precursor pyromorphite. This process created striking pseudomorph specimens where soft, microcrystalline plumbogummite forms complete casts or partial crusts that precisely preserve the original hexagonal prismatic habits and hoppered terminations of the primary pyromorphite.

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