Chillagite - Encyclopedia

    Class : Sulfates, chromates, molybdates
    Subclass : Molybdates
    Crystal system : Tetragonal
    Chemistry : PbMoO₄
    Rarity : Very rare

Chillagite is a tungstitious variety of wulfenite, individualized because it has a chemical composition intermediate between those of stolzite and wulfenite, the result of a partial replacement of molybdenum by tungsten. Its name comes from its locality of discovery : Chillagoe (Australia). It is a rare variety, whose morphological and gitotomological characteristics are those of wulfenite sensu stricto : thin tablets of square section, of a less bright color than the latter yellow, pale yellow-orange, gray or black known in the oxidation zone of lead-molybdenum deposits in an arid climate. It is a very accessory molybdenum ore and a variety little known to collectors.

Main photo : Chillagite from Tsumeb Mine, Namibia © Neal Luppescu

This mineral is not present in the French underground.

No known twin for this mineral variety.

No known fakes or treatments for this mineral variety.