Molybdate minerals

Wulfenite is a lead molybdate mineral with the formula PbMoO4. It often occurs as thin tabular crystals with a bright orange-red to yellow-orange color, sometimes brown, although the color can be highly variable. In its yellow form it is sometimes called "yellow lead ore".

Powellite is a calcium molybdate mineral with formula CaMoO4. Powellite crystallizes with tetragonal – dipyramidal crystal structure as transparent adamantine blue, greenish-brown, yellow-to-grey typically anhedral forms. It exhibits distinct cleavage, and has a brittle-to-conchoidal fracture. It has a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4 and a specific gravity of 4.25. It forms a solid solution series with scheelite (calcium tungstate, CaWO4). It has refractive index values of nω=1.974 and nε=1.984.

Ferrimolybdite is a hydrous iron molybdate mineral with formula: Fe3+2(MoO4)3·8(H2O) or Fe3+2(MoO4)3·n(H2O). It forms coatings and radial aggregates of soft yellow needles which crystallize in the orthorhombic system.

Lindgrenite is an uncommon copper molybdate mineral with formula: Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2. It occurs as tabular to platey monoclinic green to yellow green crystals.

Biehlite is an exceptionally rare mineral, an antimony arsenic bearing molybdate with formula . It comes from Tsumeb.

Szenicsite is a copper hydroxy molybdate mineral, named after husband and wife Terry and Marissa Szenics, American mineral collectors who found the first specimens. When it was first discovered in Atacama, Chile, it was thought to be lindgrenite. The occurrence appeared in an isolated area, which was about one cubic meter in size. The mineral occurred in cavities of copper bearing powellite and matrix rich molybdenite. These cavities were filled with a material resembling clay. Outside of the zone the szenicsite crystals grew, copper levels seemed to decrease, and the mineralization changed to

Tancaite-(Ce) is a very rare molybdate mineral with the formula FeCe(MoO4)3•3H2O. It was found in Punta de Su Seinargiu locality on Sardinia, Italy. Red crystals of tancaite-(Ce) resemble modified cubes, but the mineral is trigonal (space group R-3). The type locality of tancaite-(Ce) is also a place of discovery of other molybdate minerals, including thorium molybdates ichnusaite and nuragheite.

Ichnusaite (pronounced iknusa-ait) is a very rarely found mineral. Ichnusaite is a natural compound of thorium and molybdenum with the formula Th(MoO4)2·3H2O. It was discovered in Su Seinargiu, Sarroch, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy in 2013. The name is from the old Greek name of Sardinia, Ιχνουσσα, Ichnusa. This locality is also a place of discovery of the second natural thorium molybdate - nuragheite.

Nuragheite is a rare natural thorium molybdate, formula Th(MoO4)2·H2O, discovered in Su Seinargiu, Sarroch, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy. This locality is also a place of discovery of the other thorium molybdate - ichnusaite, which is a trihydrate.