Barite with Wulfenite, Mimetite

specimen number:
2063466

location:
San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico

description:
Attractive combination piece with light blue to colorless bladed crystals of barite, the largest cluster 2.5 cm across, on a breccia matrix covered with bright orange micro crystalline mimetite. Orange bladed lustrous crystals of wulfenite to 1.0 cm in size are present. The barite crystals are in excellent condition all around and standing up free from the matrix. There's minor damage to some of the wulfenite crystals up on the matrix itself. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The San Francisco Mine, located near Cucurpe and Magdalena de Kino in Sonora, Mexico, is a historic underground mine originally opened in the late 19th century for gold, silver, and molybdenum production. Geologically, the deposit sits within complex regional fault and replacement systems where hydrothermal fluids interacted with host sedimentary and volcanic rocks, later undergoing extensive oxidation that created rich secondary mineral zones. Mineralogically, the mine achieved legendary international status during specialized specimen mining in the 1970s, when deep underground pockets yielded what many consider the world-class standard for wulfenite. These specimens are prized for their paper-thin, transparent, windowpane-like tabular crystals ranging from brilliant yellow to vivid orange, frequently found in stunning aesthetic combination with contrasting red or orange mimetite spherules.

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