Spriggite

Pb3(UO2)6O8(OH)2 · 3H2O
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Sgg
IMA approved
2002
Also known as
  • IMA2002-014
  • Spriggiet

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

Strongly oxidized samples of a quartz-hematite breccia enriched in uranium, niobium and rare earth element minerals.

Type locality
Mount Painter No. 2 workings
  1. Mount Painter area
  2. Arkaroola (Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
  3. Arkaroola Station)
  4. Pastoral Unincorporated Area
  5. South Australia
  6. Australia

-30.2208°, 139.3322°

2recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Radioactivity

Physical

Hardness
123456789104/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Transparency
Transparent
Colour
Bright orange
Streak
Pale orange
Tenacity
brittle
Cleavage
Distinct/Good

Good on (100).

Fracture
Irregular/Uneven
Density
7.64 g/cm³

Optical

Optical type
Biaxial
Pleochroism
Strong

Pale yellow to dark orange, in polarized light.

UV response
Not fluorescent.
Notes

n(min) = 1.807 n(max) = 1.891.

Crystallography

Crystal system
Monoclinic
Space group
C2/c
Cell parameters
a = 28.355(9) Å · b = 11.990(4) Å · c = 13.998(4) Å
Cell angles
β = 104.248(5) °
Ratio a:b:c
1 : 0.423 : 0.494
Z
8
Morphology

Aggregates of randomly oriented prismatic crystals. Forms include the (100) prism (dominant), another prominent pinacoid and four small terminal faces (type material).

Twinning

By penetration of three individuals separated by ~60° rotation around [100] to form six-legged stars.

Type-locality form

Prismatic crystals to 0.15 mm, forming aggregates to 1 cm across.

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
92UUraniumUranium6238.0291428.174
58.11%
82PbLeadLead3207.200621.600
25.29%
8OOxygenOxygen2515.999399.975
16.27%
1HHydrogenHydrogen81.0088.064
0.33%
Total2457.813100.00%

Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • IMA2002-014
  • Spriggiet

In other languages

German
IMA 2002-014 · Spriggit
Italian
Spriggite

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

4.GC.15

  • 4OxidesClass
  • 4.GUranyl HydroxidesDivision
  • 4.GCWith additional cations; with mainly UO2(O,OH)6 hexagonal polyhedraGroup
  • 4.GC.15SpriggiteSpecies

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. 2003Grice, J.D., Ferraris, G. (2003) New minerals approved in 2002 and nomenclature modifications approved 1998-2002 by the commission on new minerals and mineral names, International Mineralogical Association. American Mineralogist: 88: 1620-1624.
  2. 2003Grice, J. D.; Ferraris, G. (2003) New minerals approved in 2002 and nomenclature modifications approved in 1998-2002 by the Commission on the New Minerals and Mineral Names, International Mineralogical Association. The Canadian Mineralogist, 41 (3). 795-802 doi:10.2113/gscanmin.41.3.795 DOI: 10.2113/gscanmin.41.3.795
  3. 2004Lapis (2004): 29(3): 41.
  4. 2004Brugger, Joël, Krivovichev, Sergey V., Berlepsch, Peter, Meisser, Nicolas, Ansermet, Stefan, Armbruster, Thomas (2004) Spriggite, Pb3[(UO2)6O8(OH)2] (H2O)3, a new mineral with β-U3O8–type sheets: Description and crystal structure. American Mineralogist, 89 (2) 339-347 doi:10.2138/am-2004-2-312 DOI: 10.2138/am-2004-2-312
  5. 2004Mandarino, Joseph A. (2004) New minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist, 42 (4) 1241-1260 doi:10.2113/gscanmin.42.4.1241 DOI: 10.2113/gscanmin.42.4.1241
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Spriggite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/spriggite-25685},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}