Calcite

specimen number:
2063730

location:
Shullsburg, Lafayette Co., Wisconsin, USA

description:
A loose sharp colorless mostly gemmy crystal of calcite. Cleaved on the base, this is in good condition all around the sides and top. Nice old timer from Wisconsin. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Shullsburg, located within Lafayette County in southwest Wisconsin, forms a major historical anchor of the Upper Mississippi Valley Lead-Zinc District. Settled in the 1820s during an early lead mining boom driven by Galena Formation dolomite deposits, the area later transitioned to large-scale zinc extraction through underground operations like the Mining Corporation of Canada mines and the Shullsburg Mine complex. Millions of years of low-temperature hydrothermal fluid movement through fractured Ordovician limestone and dolomite deposited rich sulfide ore veins. Beyond commercial ore, these mines became legendary among mineral collectors for producing world-class specimens, including lustrous golden calcite crystals, dark sphalerite, galena cubes, and intricate brassy marcasite stalactites and rosettes. While commercial operations permanently ceased in 1979, Shullsburg remains renowned in classic American mineralogy for the exceptional quality and historical significance of its recovered cabinet specimens.

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