MOTTRAMITE

HISTORY, NAME, LOCALITIES: Mottramite, pronounced MAH-trahm-ite, was discovered in 1868.  It was named in 1876 after the site of its discovery, the town of Mottram St. Andrews in Cheshire, England.  Notable collecting localities are in England, Namibia, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States (Arizona, New Mexico).

MINERALOGY, PROPERTIES, OCCURRENCE: Mottramite [basic lead copper vanadate, PbCuVO₄(OH)] crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, most often as velvety crusts of tiny, drusy crystals and radiating or stalactitic masses.  It is transparent to opaque and ranges in color from dark green and “dirty” green to greenish-black.  Mottramite has a Mohs hardness of 3.0-3.5, resinous luster, conchoidal-to-uneven fracture, and a specific gravity of 5.7-6.0.  Mottramite is an uncommon, secondary mineral that forms in the oxidized portions of copper-lead deposits and almost always occurs in association with descloizite and malachite.

METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES, LORE, USES: Metaphysical practitioners believe that mottramite aids in transformation and self-reformation, provides balance and respite during achievement of goals, and produces feelings of well-being and energetic control.   Apart from occasionally having served as a minor ore of lead and copper, mottramite has no technological uses.

COLLECTORS’ INFORMATION:  Mottramite is collected for its rarity and association in composite specimens with descloizite, malachite, and other oxidized lead, zinc, and copper minerals.