What is "mottramite"

n. (context mineral English) A mineral composed of a lead and copper vanadate.

Mottramite is an orthorhombic anhydrous vanadate hydroxide mineral, Pb Cu( V O)(O H), at the copper end of the descloizite subgroup. It was formerly called cuprodescloizite or psittacinite (this mineral characterized in 1868 by Frederick Augustus Genth). Duhamelite is a calcium- and bismuth-bearing variety of mottramite, typically with acicular habit.

Mottramite is a member of the adelite- descloizite group. Mottramite, which is a copper rich member, forms a series with descloizite, which is a zinc rich member. These two minerals usually contain significant percentages of both copper and zinc and are seldom pure. Mottramite also forms a series with duftite.

It was discovered in 1876 and named for the locality, Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, England, where ore was stockpiled, although it was probably mined from Pim Hill Mine, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.