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
Heavy mineral sands ore deposits Chile and Ecuador, is carried out in an environmentally responsible manner. Examples of environmentally sensitive and politically sensitive mineral sand mining operations which have gained public attention and galvanised environmental activism responses to mining proposals include the Tuart-Ludlow mineral sands mine, Western Australia, and the culmination of conservationist efforts to preserve Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia. These latter campaigns successfully lobbied government and saw Fraser Island and Rainbow Beach protected by the High Court of Australia; however, the Tuart-Ludlow campaign failed to prevent mining works in the Tuart forests in coastal Western Australia. Similar mineral sand mining operations