Template:POTD/2023-06-23
Cerussite is a mineral consisting of lead carbonate (PbCO3), and is an important ore of lead. The name is from the Latin cerussa, white lead. Cerussa nativa was mentioned by Conrad Gessner in 1565, and in 1832 François Sulpice Beudant applied the name céruse to the mineral, while the present form, cerussite, is due to Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger in 1845. Miners' names for cerussite in early use were lead-spar and white-lead-ore. In a hydrate form known as white lead, the mineral is a key ingredient in lead paints and has also been used in cosmetics, but both uses are now discontinued in many places as a result of lead poisoning. These cerussite crystals, measuring approximately 4.0 cm × 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm (1.57 in × 1.18 in × 0.79 in), were found in a mine in Madan-e Nakhlak, Iran.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus