Barite

specimen number:
9892141

location:
Xikuangshan Mine, Lengshuijiang Co., Loudi, Hunan, China

description:
A cluster of mostly gemmy lustrous blocky barite crystals without matrix. In good condition.

Located in Hunan Province, China, the Xikuangshan Mine is embedded within a massive stratabound antimony deposit hosted primarily in Devonian limestone and shale formations. The regional geology was shaped by complex tectonic movement and low-temperature hydrothermal fluid activity that deposited thick, high-grade stibnite veins within fractured carbonate rocks. Antimony mining at Xikuangshan began during the late Qing Dynasty in the late nineteenth century and expanded rapidly, eventually establishing the site as the largest antimony producer in the world. Beyond its economic significance, the mine is globally famous among mineral collectors and museums for producing extraordinary, highly lustrous, dark metallic stibnite crystal clusters, often featured as world-class display specimens.

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