Vanadinite Vanadinite Vanadinite is a mineral belonging to the apatite group of phosphates, with the chemical formula Pb(VO)Cl. It is one of the main industrial ores of the metal vanadium and a minor source of lead. A dense, brittle mineral, it is usually found in the form of red hexagonal crystals. It is an uncommon mineral, formed by the oxidation of lead ore deposits such as galena. First discovered in 1801 in Mexico, vanadinite deposits have since been unearthed in South America, Europe, Africa, and North America. Vanadinite is an uncommon mineral, only occurring as the result of chemical alterations to
Nickel in nickel galena. Nickel is commonly found in iron meteorites as the alloys kamacite and taenite. The bulk of the nickel is mined from two types of ore deposits. The first is laterite, where the principal ore mineral mixtures are nickeliferous limonite, (Fe,Ni)O(OH), and garnierite (a mixture of various hydrous nickel and nickel-rich silicates). The second is magmatic sulfide deposits, where the principal ore mineral is pentlandite: . Australia and New Caledonia have the biggest estimate reserves (45% all together). Identified land-based resources throughout the world averaging 1% nickel or greater comprise at least 130 million tons of nickel (about