Calcite (CAR-0010)

specimen number:
9273156

location:
Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

description:

A wonderful grouping of glassy gem quality colorless calcite crystals with little attached matrix. In super condition all around. Brightly fluorescent.

The Nikolaevskiy mine, situated within the Dalnegorsk urban district of the Primorsky Krai region in Russia, is a large-scale underground mining operation heavily exploited for its massive lead, zinc, and silver resources. Geologically, the deposit is a classic skarn-replacement system where Mesozoic-aged granitic intrusions intersected Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary formations, specifically thick sequences of limestone and volcanic tuff breccias. Hydrothermal activity altered these carbonate host rocks into complex skarn bodies containing high concentrations of galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite, along with deep cavernous zones that contain well-developed crystals of calcite, quartz, and fluorite. Formal exploration and development of the Nikolaevskiy orebody began under Soviet state control during the 1950s, with large-scale industrial underground production officially commencing in 1982 to feed the local central processing facilities. The mine has remained continuously active up through recent years, operating under corporate entities such as JSC Dalpolimetall, which continues deep horizontal shaft extractions to sustain domestic and international base-metal supplies.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.