How to identify Wulfenite

To correctly identify Wulfenite (Wulfenite), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Typically bright orange, yellow, or red; less commonly brown, gray, green, or colorless. The color is often vivid and translucent.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Adamantine to resinous, giving it a brilliant, almost greasy appearance.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Smooth, often with distinct crystal faces. Crystals are typically tabular, sometimes pyramidal.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Most commonly thin, square, or octagonal tabular crystals. Also found as pyramidal, bipyramidal, or granular masses. Crystals can be very sharp and well-formed.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   Distinct on {011}, but often difficult to observe due to its brittleness and thin crystal habit. Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Oxidized zones of lead-zinc-molybdenum hydrothermal ore deposits, often associated with minerals like cerussite, anglesite, mimetite, vanadinite, and limonite. It forms in arid or semi-arid environments where oxidation is prevalent.

Key Facts

Hardness

2.5 - 3 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

6.5 - 7.0 (very dense due to lead content)

Crystal System

Tetragonal

Color

Orange, yellow, red, brown, gray, green, colorless

Luster

Adamantine to resinous

Transparency

Transparent to translucent

Fracture

Conchoidal to uneven

Cleavage

Distinct on {011}, but often imperfect or difficult to observe

Composition

Lead molybdate (PbMoO4)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Typically thin, square, or octagonal tabular crystals; also pyramidal, bipyramidal, granular, or massive.
• Cleavage Type: Distinct on {011}, but often imperfect.
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal to uneven.
• Tenacity: Brittle.
• Luster Type: Adamantine to resinous.

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